A first stage tank for Astra Rocket 4. Photo: Astra

Smallsat launcher Astra announced a new award from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on Wednesday, months after taking the company private. 

The DIU awarded Astra a contract worth up to $44 million to support development of its tactically responsive launch system with the objective of launching Rocket 4 to orbit or suborbit and from the U.S., Australia, or other locations.

Astra said the contract facilitates continued development of the second rendition of Astra’s rocket, Launch System 2 including demonstrating automated laser welding capabilities in the production of Rocket 4. It also supports concepts in Launch System 2’s ground infrastructure, and the industrialization of Astra’s production facilities.

Astra successfully reached orbit twice, but encountered financial difficulties after two launch failures forced the company to suspend launches in 2022. The company has not launched since, but is working on future renditions of its rockets. 

Astra was the first launch company to be publicly traded on the Nasdaq when it went public in the SPAC boom of 2021, but its co-founders took the company private in July of this year. 

Co-founder and CTO Adam London called the DIU award a “major vote of confidence.” 

“This award is a testament not only to our team’s perseverance this past year, but also a validation of our vision for tactically responsive space,” commented Chris Kemp, Astra founder and CEO. “We’re proud to have so many partners who understand and support the importance of point-to-point space delivery for national security and defense applications.”

Astra’s goals include reaching a weekly launch cadence and launching from spaceports around the world. The company currently works with the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, and Cape Canaveral, and plans to launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport in the U.K., and others.