Rocket Revival: A Second Chance for Antares

Ever heard of the Antares rocket? It's not as famous as some others, but it has an interesting past. Ten years ago, an Antares rocket crashed just seconds after liftoff in Virginia. The blast was so strong, it shook the ground. Now, companies like Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace are working on a new version of Antares. In space news, Astra, a launch startup, got a big boost from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). They signed a deal worth up to $44 million to develop a new launch system. This system, called Launch System 2, includes a small rocket called Rocket 4. The goal is to make launches faster and cheaper. Astra has had some tough times. After going public and facing launch failures, the company went private again with a much lower value. But this new contract could be a game-changer for them.