Alaska-owned aerospace company lines up commercial launches

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A commercial rocket is expected to launch early next year at a state-owned aerospace company’s facility on Kodiak Island.

Alaska Aerospace Corp. has secured three launch contracts and has a fourth in the works, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Monday.

Ad Astra, a Texas-based aerospace company specializing in advanced plasma rocket propulsion technology, is scheduled for the first launch.

Vector Space Systems is expected to launch from the facility in late 2018 and the company will also support a second Rocket Lab launch in New Zealand in December or early next year.

Compa...