Astra
Ursa Major to provide engines for the upper stage of Astra’s new rocket
Astra’s new Rocket 4 launch vehicle will use Ursa Major’s Hadley liquid engine to power its upper stage, the two companies announced Monday. Astra has been tight-lipped about the new upper-stage e
Astra star hire Benjamin Lyon resigns, management team restructured
Space company Astra’s management team is undergoing another shake-up. The company said Friday that chief engineer Benjamin Lyon has resigned after just short of two years in the role. Rather than se
NASA selects Rocket Lab to launch TROPICS satellites
NASA has found a new launch provider for its extreme weather observation satellites. The agency announced Wednesday that it has selected Rocket Lab to launch its Time-Resolved Observations of Precipit
Astra lays off 16% after nearly tripling workforce in the last year
Astra, a rocket startup that went public last year, told investors Tuesday it laid off 16% of its workforce as part of a wider strategy to increase shrinking financial runway and decrease expenses. Th
Astra brings on new CFO as it looks to scale launch and propulsion businesses
Astra is bringing on Silicon Valley veteran Axel Martinez as its new chief financial officer, a C-suite change that in many ways demarcates a new chapter for the space company. Martinez’s career inc
Astra will no longer launch NASA’s TROPICS satellites
Rocket launch company Astra will no longer send the remaining NASA TROPICS payloads to space, but instead will launch other “comparable” scientific missions for the agency, the company announced W
Astra changes strategy and ditches current rocket in the wake of launch debacles
Astra CEO Chris Kemp told investors Thursday that the company will be no longer launch payloads with its current lightweight vehicle, Rocket 3, and will instead re-manifest all launches on a considera
Astra’s latest launch for NASA also ends in failure
Rocket launch company Astra isn’t starting out with the best track record, after its latest mission for NASA ended in failure — just a few months after its last rocket carrying payloads for the ag
Astra’s playing the long game
In a time when every rocket launch is livestreamed on YouTube, millions of people get a front row seat to a space company’s successes and failures. Astra, a rocket startup-turned-public company, has
Max Q: All eyes on Astra
Hi folks, welcome back to Max Q. This week we have news on rockets both small (Astra’s Rocket 3.3) and very, very large (NASA’s Space Launch System). Plus further fallout from Russia’
Astra reaches orbit in first mission for new customer Spaceflight Inc.
Space startup-turned-public-company Astra reached orbit for a second time, in its debut mission for new customer Spaceflight Inc. It’s a big win for the launch company. Astra reached orbit for the f
Max Q: Russian invasion reverberates through space industry
This week, Max Q again puts the focus on the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the resulting halo effects that’s having on the international space industry. Neither private companies, l
Astra’s first rocket launch from Florida goes awry
Astra launched its first rocket from Florida’s “Space Coast” today, with a liftoff from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It was the startup’s seco
ACME Capital, run by Scott Stanford and Hany Nada, has $300 million more to invest in early startups
ACME Capital, an early-stage venture firm that’s run by industry insiders Scott Stanford and Hany Nada, has just closed two funds totalling $300 million in capital commitments, including a $240
How to build a better rocket company
We spoke to three rocket makers who have either already launched, achieved orbit or are well on their way: Firefly Aerospace's Lauren Lyons, Astra's Benjamin Lyon and Launcher's Max Haot.
Astra will launch a rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida for the first time in January
Astra is set to expand its launch footprint, after exclusively flying its first few rockets from Kodiak, Alaska. The startup will fly a mission from Cape Canaveral in Florida for client NASA in Januar
Astra moves full steam ahead after successful orbital launch, looks to test Rocket 4.0 next year
Rocket startup-turned-public company Astra Space is flying high Monday morning, with stock prices increasing as much as 42% since markets opened thanks to the company’s first successful orbital flig
Astra successfully reaches orbit for the first time with latest rocket launch
There’s another launch company newly able to count itself among the small (but growing) group that has reached orbit: Astra. The Alameda-based rocket startup notched that achievement late Friday
Astra completes investigation into August launch failure, aims for next attempt in October
Rocket launch startup Astra provided more details into its rather remarkable mission failure in August, during which the small launch vehicle hovered and drifted in the air before managing a brief ver