All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
DARPA awarded Lockheed Martin a $5,800,000 contract for satellite integration work for the Blackjack program on 2020-04-24.
The 2020-03-02 launch attempt was part of the now-completed DARPA Launch Challenge.
The planned follow-up launch after the 2020-03-02 scrub would allow Astra to replace the DARPA-supplied payload with one from an unidentified customer.
Maxar Technologies was selected to build a servicer for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency but relinquished the program in early 2019.
The vehicle being developed with DARPA will be used to install Mission Extension Pods on existing in-orbit commercial and government satellites to extend their service lives.
DARPA will provide the robotics payload for a Mission Robotic Vehicle that will be used to service satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected Northrop Grumman as its commercial partner for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program on 2020-03-04.
DARPA seeks to bring dexterous on-orbit servicing to spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit and to establish that inspection, repair, life extension, and improvement of GEO assets can become routine.
DARPA selected SSL as its commercial partner for the RSGS program in February 2017 over competitor Orbital ATK.
DARPA solicited new bids for the RSGS program in May 2019.
DARPA has a planned budget of $64,600,000 for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program for fiscal year 2020.
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.
DARPA designated the 2020-03-02 opportunity as Astra’s final chance to perform the first of two launches required by the competition.
Astra was one of three finalists announced in April 2019, a year after DARPA formally started 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 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.
DARPA announced the Launch Challenge in 2018 with the intent for competitors to perform two launches from two separate sites.
DARPA informed Astra on 2020-02-17 that Astra would be allowed to perform its second Launch Challenge launch from Kodiak, Alaska.
Astra will receive $10,000,000 for successfully performing a second DARPA Launch Challenge launch from another site.