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Astra is a rocket company that offers online reservations for payload deliveries to both sun-synchronous and low-inclination orbits. The company is headquartered in Alameda, California, and was founded in October 2016 by Chris Kemp and Adam London.
Astra built their first rocket development and test facility in Alameda, California, in January 2017. The facility was built in the former Alameda Naval Air Station, which operated as a jet engine test facility. In July 2018, Astra successfully launched their first rocket, in Kodiak, Alaska. In November 2019, the company launched their second rocket, in Kodiak as well; according to their website, the launch was shorter in duration than was expected. In March 2019, Astra competed against sixty other space companies for the DARPA Launch Challenge and was chosen as a finalist. In July 2019, Astra announced the completion of its 250,000-square-foot rocket factory in Alameda, California. Astra completed building their Spaceport at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, in October 2019. In January 2020, Astra began the production of their third-generation (3.0) rockets at their rocket factory.
In July 2021, Astra went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange after merging with the SPAC company Holicity. This move valued the company at $2.1 billion and provided Astra with about $500 million in cash proceeds.
As of 2021, Astra is taking reservations for their satellite delivery and payload service. While the company has not yet delivered any payloads into orbit, Astra has stated they will begin launching satellites into space during the summer of 2021. Astra is currently offering reservations to send payloads weighing up to 500kg to up to 500km mid-inclination orbits, with more destinations to come in the future. They have projected they will conduct daily space launches by 2025.
