Astral Mining Corporation To Drill The Jumping Josephine; Sets 2007 Exploration Budget by 24hgold

Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Astral To Drill The Jumping Josephine; Sets 2007 Exploration Budget

Astral Mining Corporation ("Astral" or the "Company"), TSX-V AST, announces that its Board of Directors has approved a 2007 exploration program with a total budget of Cdn$2.5 million. Outlined below are Astral's exploration plans for 2007 in its three focus areas: British Columbia in Canada and Nevada and North-South Carolina in the United States, which will include at least six drill programs.

In British Columbia:

JUMPING JOSEPHINE: Astral has paid a deposit to secure a drill rig for its spring 2007 Phase I drilling program on the JJ Main Zone gold discovery on the 11,785 hectare Jumping Josephine "JJ" project. In late 2006 the Company announced trenching results of 31.19 g/t gold over 7m, including 133.91 g/t gold over 1m from the JJ Main Zone (December 14, 2006 Astral News Release). The JJ Main Zone currently has a cumulative strike length of 270 metres and remains open in both directions. Phase I drill-testing is scheduled to commence in early May 2007. Refer to the Company's previous news release dated December 14, 2006 for further details.

JAG: Astral will be carrying out a detailed silt and soil sampling program in the spring to identify trenching and drill targets. Astral is earning a 100% interest in the 1,738 hectare JAG gold property, located in central British Columbia, 100km southwest of Vanderhoof in the Omineca Mining District, by making a series of cash payments and completing work commitments. The property has potential for low sulphidation epithermal gold quartz veins, similar to those hosting the 3T's project 30km to the south.

In Nevada

GOLD SPRINGS: At the 2,460 acre (996.3 ha) Gold Springs project, located in the Stateline Mining District, Nevada and Utah, Astral is planning a 1,500m diamond drill program to test two targets: 1) a deep (>300m) CSAMT anomaly beneath the Jumbo low sulphidation epithermal vein system and 2) the Jennie North area where a single RC hole from the 2006 drill program tested a second CSAMT anomaly and intersected 1.24 g/t gold 6.6 g/t silver over 7.7m near the end of the hole, including a 1.5m interval assaying 4.6 g/t gold and 21.6 g/t silver. The Stateline Mining District encompasses a large, under explored, gold-bearing low-sulphidation epithermal system hosted primarily in intermediate volcanic rocks. Multiple mineralized zones exist over an area three kilometres by six kilometres.

ROY and HILLS: Astral has completed a 7-hole 1,076m Phase I Reverse Circulation (RC) drill program on the 2,220 acre (899.1 ha) Roy and Hills gold projects with results pending. These adjacent properties are located within the prolific Walker Lane Mineral Belt of West Central Nevada, where past production has yielded more than 35 million gold equivalent ounces.
REF: The Company plans to test the 880 acre (356.4 ha) REF gold project with a Phase I program comprising approximately 1000m of RC drilling. The REF property is located at the south end of the Battle Mountain - Eureka trend, south of Eureka. The project has potential to host a classic disseminated gold Carlin-type deposit.

SCRAPER SPRINGS: A 1-2 hole Phase I drill test of the 660 acre (267.3 ha) Scraper Springs gold project is planned for 2007. Scraper Springs lies along the northern extension of the prolific gold producing Carlin Trend. The property is underlain by altered and mineralized Tertiary volcanic rocks that display a well defined gold, arsenic and antimony anomaly over a 1.6 by 0.8 kilometre area. The drill program will focus on determining if a high-grade Carlin-Type deposit is present at depth.

EMMY: Further surface work including geological mapping, rock and soil sampling and ground magnetics is planned for the 600 acre (243 ha) Emmy property in 2007. This prospect lies approximately eight miles north of the Scraper Springs Project and is underlain by similar lithologies with comparable structural and geochemical features.

MONZO: In 2007 Astral plans to carry out further geological mapping, rock and soil sampling and ground magnetics to identify drill targets on the Monzo property. Monzo is located in the Cedar Mountains of west central Nevada along the northeastern edge of the Walker Lane mining district and covers approximately 2,480 acres (1,004 ha). The property is located in a historic mining district and has the potential for hosting epithermal precious metal, polymetallic replacement and porphyry deposits.

In the Carolina's:

SALUDA: In Saluda County, South Carolina in the auriferous Carolina Slate Belt 253 acres (102 ha) of land have been leased surrounding a gold-quartz vein showing, exposed in historical trenches, which has never been drill tested. A 150m by 100m gold in soil anomaly surrounds the area; grades of quartz grab samples range from 3.4 to 144 g/t gold and visible gold has been identified (December 13, 2006 Gold Summit News Release). Astral is planning a Phase I drill test of this exciting gold prospect for the spring of 2007 and can earn up to a 80% interest in the project.

BEAR CREEK: In the Bear Creek project area of North Carolina a first prospect has been leased and more areas are being acquired to cover five linear gold-bearing quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zones with associated gold-soil anomalies. Over the summer geological mapping, rock and soil sampling as well as IP and ground magnetic surveys will be carried out to identify drill targets on the Bear Creek Project.

Astral Mining Corporation, a Grosso Group company, is a Canadian-based company engaged in the exploration and development of precious mineral properties in North America. By focusing on exploration in mining-friendly districts the company minimizes the political and social risks encountered in many other parts of the world. With an experienced technical team and seasoned management Astral is poised to leverage this expertise into early exploration success.

Further details on Astral Mining Corporation and its high-quality portfolio of exploration projects can be found at www.astralmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Manfred Kurschner"

Mr. Manfred Kurschner, President & CEO

For further information please contact Manfred Kurschner, President & CEO, at 1-800-901-0058 or 604-687-1828, or fax 604-687-1858, or by email info@astralmining.com, or visit the Company's web site at http://www.astralmining.com.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

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