All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Astra planned to launch its Rocket 3.0 vehicle from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island as the first of two orbital launches for the DARPA Launch Challenge.
Had Astra reached orbit on the first launch it would have received $2 million, and a successful second launch later in March from a different pad at the same spaceport would have enabled Astra to win an additional $10,000,000.
DARPA designated the 2020-03-02 opportunity as Astra’s final chance to perform the first of two launches required by the competition.
A two-week launch window for the first DARPA Launch Challenge launch opened 2020-02-17, with Astra expecting the earliest readiness on 2020-02-25 and daily three-hour launch windows through 2020-03-01.
DARPA covered at least some of the costs of transporting Astra’s rocket to the Kodiak launch site and the rocket arrived within a couple hours of the 2020-02-18 briefing.
Astra is prepared to launch from Wallops or any other site and its system is agnostic to which concrete pad it arrives at and launches from, aside from regulatory issues.
DARPA informed Astra on 2020-02-17 that Astra would be allowed to perform its second Launch Challenge launch from Kodiak, Alaska.
Astra will perform both launches required by the DARPA Launch Challenge from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island from two separate pads about 300 m apart.
Astra is able to produce a Rocket 3.0 vehicle at a rate of about one per month.
Astra’s first orbital launch window from Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska opens on 2020-02-25 with daily windows from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern through 2020-03-03.
Astra will receive $2,000,000 for successfully placing the DARPA-provided payload into orbit on the first mission.
Astra’s planned version 4 rocket will be able to place 50 kg into sun-synchronous orbit.
Astra switched from a carbon composite nose cone that cost about $250,000 to a cheaper, faster-to-produce aluminum structure.
Astra will receive $10,000,000 for successfully performing a second DARPA Launch Challenge launch from another site.
Astra’s first two rockets were suborbital vehicles launched from Alaska in 2018.
DARPA selected Astra, Vector, and Virgin Orbit as finalists for the DARPA Launch Challenge in April 2019.
Astra formally announced its plans on 2020-02-03 and launched its first public website on that date.
Astra performed two suborbital test launches from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska in 2018 that the Federal Aviation Administration classified as mishaps.
Astra’s website lists four missions from October 2020 to July 2021 to sun-synchronous orbits.
Astra’s website lists three missions from March to September 2021 available to orbits at an inclination of nine degrees consistent with launches from Kwajalein Atoll.