Responsive Mobile Launch

In a San Francisco garage, Chris Kemp and Dr. Adam London began designing Rocket 1.0, Astra's first launch vehicle, along with it's mobile ground support system.

At the former Alameda Naval Air Station, Astra transforms a retired jet engine test cell into a rocket engine development site — marking the start of the first rocket construction and Astra's first electric pump-fed engine tests.

Astra's first test launch was on July 20, 2018 in Kodiak, Alaska, less than two years after being founded. The primary goal was to collect initial flight data — successfully achieved with nearly 25 seconds of flight.

Astra validated major upgrades to the rocket and ground system in this test. During the flight, two engine pump controllers malfunctioned, leading to the flight's termination about 30 seconds after liftoff.

Astra returned to the launch pad on September 11, 2020 with LV0004 (Rocket 3.1) and an upgraded launcher. After lift-off, two software errors caused the rocket to veer off-course, triggering the flight safety system to terminate the flight.

Successful orbital capability demonstration — On December 15, 2020, LV0005 demonstrated Astra's orbital capability, successfully completing all flight phases and nearly reaching orbit. Building on this breakthrough, Astra pursued a comprehensive upgrade to Rocket 3.3 with an elongated first stage and enhanced upper stage for full orbital achievement.

On August 28, 2021, Rocket 3.3's inaugural flight successfully recovered from a single engine shutdown before being incorrectly terminated by the Safety Officer.

Astra returned to the pad just 2 months after LV0006 and on November 19, 2021, reached orbit and delivered a test payload to orbit with a nominal flight of both first and upper stages.

Astra demonstrated the mobility of its launch system by transporting both the launcher and rocket to Cape Canaveral and setting up a new launch site in less than a week. On February 10, 2022, after a nominal first stage flight, an off-nominal payload separation occurred and Astra did not fully deliver the 4 payloads on board.

Successful orbital launch for Spaceflight — On March 15, 2022, LV0009 had a 100% successful flight for Spaceflight, delivering 22 satellites to orbit.

Astra's second Cape Canaveral flight completed nominal first stage operations, stage separation, and upper stage ignition. An anomalously high fuel consumption rate in the upper stage caused the rocket to reach only 80 percent of orbital velocity before re-entering the atmosphere.

Contract supports advancing and scaling the production capabilities of Astra's unique tactically responsive launch system, to achieve the prototype objective of launching Rocket 4.0 to orbit or suborbit and from the US, Australia, or other locations.