Astra

Founders: Chris Kemp (CEO), Adam London (CTO)
Founded In: 2016
Headquarter: Alameda, CA
Headcount: 120

Cover Photo: Astra’s Rocket 3.1 launch in September 2020, the first orbital launch attempt by the company (Astra Flickr)

Astra has had a relatively short public existence - the company only emerged out of stealth mode in February 2020 via an interview with Bloomberg - but has been considered by many to be a leading contender in the smallsat launch industry, with financial backing from leading VC firms such as Airbus Ventures and Canaan Partners and high hopes from the rest of the industry. 2020 turned out to be a rollercoaster of a year for the young firm, however, as the company failed to complete the DARPA Launch Challenge in March due to a faulty sensor, losing out $12 million in potential prize money in the process, and was forced to cut headcount in April to preserve cashflow and continue work on its rockets through the pandemic. The company bounced back strong later in the year with a new Department of Defense ride-share contract and conducted two test launches, one in September (Rocket 3.1) and December (Rocket 3.2), with the latter coming within seconds of being able to enter orbit. Like many of its peers, Astra aims to conduct its first commercial launch in 2021 from its Alaskan launch site, marking the beginning of heated competition in the smallsat launch market that is currently monopolized by Rocket Lab and ride-share services from larger providers like SpaceX.

Astra evolved out of a small aerospace design firm named Ventions that had a long relationship developing spaceflight technologies with NASA.

Astra rocket’s understated and monochromatic design is less flashy than its competitors and have no obvious technical specialty to differentiate itself except for its electric-powered Delphin first-stage engines, which is the second engine type to utilize electric pump after Rocket Lab’s Rutherford engines. The rocket’s silvery, metallic outfit looks more akin to first-generation missiles from the 20th century than the future workhorse of the smallsat launch industry; Adam London, the company’s co-founder and CTO, half-jokingly admitted that “honestly, we’re building a pretty boring rocket" during an interview this year. This look is completely intentional, however. Astra’s main design goal for its rocket is simplicity and versatility, having designed the vehicle to fit DARPA Launch Competition’s requirement of being able to rapidly move between launch sites and conduct launches with minimal lead times. I would liken Astra’s approach to be a SpaceX manufacturing model stripped down for a dedicated smallsat launch operation, focusing entirely on lowering cost and streamlining production.

… Work In Progress