Okay, people. @Kemp and I got the band back together to talk Wild, Wild Space and @Astra's $80m raise and return to the pad. Full episode of the pod here on XTimestamps0:00:00 Introduction & Guest Chris Kemp0:01:18 Astra's Journey and Current State0:08:01 Taking Astra Private0:10:17 New Leadership and Space Force Collaboration0:12:18 Rocket Industry Landscape0:14:22 Shifting to Larger Satellites0:15:15 DoD Drone Launch Contract0:21:19 Vision of Global Spaceports0:24:25 Satellite Constellations and Dual Use0:26:36 Global Telecom & Space Race0:30:01 Open Standards & Space Interoperability0:31:14 Life After Going Private0:32:17 Lessons from the SPAC Era0:34:03 Focusing on Rocket 40:36:15 Balancing Speed and Reliability0:40:06 The Cost of Innovation0:42:21 Fundraising and Customer Commitment0:44:12 The Satellite Engine Business0:45:09 Decentralized Constellation Vision0:50:14 Future Plans and Series B0:52:21 Why Kemp Keeps Going0:54:20 What’s Next for Astra0:56:06 Thoughts on the Competition0:59:13 Sideways Rocket Explained1:00:15 Vision for NASA's Future
So this is this DoD contract where we'll actually take the drones we'll put them in the rocket and then we'll deliver them to the other side of the planet in 45 minutes and they will re-enter and they will conduct a mission. And we're partnering with Anduril on this. So you know imagine being able to do that at scale. So you so what happens the rocket goes into space. The drones are its payload. So the rocket would would enter an orbital trajectory Uh probably not a ballistic trajectory because you wouldn't want to accidentally start World War III and then you would have a re-entry vehicle that would be capable of doing um a Mach 15 re-entry and and travel thousands of kilometers off the nominal orbital trajectory and then you would pop a parachute and then the drones would deploy and then they would conduct a mission. So you would have tremendous operational freedom not necessarily above where you were orbiting. It will not be the first but it'll be I think the third or fourth
A DIU spokesperson confirmed the arrangement includes two launch milestones: one suborbital (point to point), and the other orbital with the option to launch from a location outside the United States, as Astra is developing a mobile launcher.“This is a multi-year effort with the two demonstrations planned around the mid to end of calendar year 2026,” DIU said. Kemp said the orbital launch will likely occur from Australia.
Kemp said the company is “working hard to have stages tested this year, targeting no earlier than the end of Q1 2026 for first test launch.” A separate military payload, Space Test Program STP-27B, is scheduled to launch no earlier than Q3 2026.Payments under the DIU contract are milestone-based, requiring Astra to demonstrate it is “de-risking” Rocket 4 by qualifying engines and stages while sharing development data with the government. Kemp said Astra is funding Rocket 4’s development through private investment and revenue from its satellite propulsion business.
In this episode of Valley of Depth, we go inside one of the most dramatic flameouts and attempted comebacks in the commercial space era. We discuss:• Why Astra’s SPAC-era promises didn’t survive contact with reality• What really went wrong with Rocket 3 and how much of that falls on Kemp• The decision to take the company private and buy it back for pennies on the dollar• How Astra raised $80M, and its attempt to raise another $100M+• The quiet success of its satellite propulsion business• Rocket 4, and whether this time is actually different• How Kemp is repositioning Astra as a mobile, defense-aligned launch platform
[25:35] Rocket 4 will launch summer 2026.[26:00] First vehicles will have ~600 kg payload capacity to a 500 km orbit, eventually upgraded to 1 ton.[26:50] Payload volume has scaled by 100x, payload mass by 10x and price is same as Rocket 3, partly by lowering engine count from 6 to 3.[29:50] Cost to orbit is ~$7500 per kg.[47:00] 'Sideways launch' would have made it to orbit but was terminated by Flight Safety Officer due to incorrect range safety data from a previous launch being loaded.[58:00] First stage engine will be tested next week. Upper Stage test fire before end of the year,
QuoteIn this episode of Valley of Depth, we go inside one of the most dramatic flameouts and attempted comebacks in the commercial space era. We discuss:• Why Astra’s SPAC-era promises didn’t survive contact with reality• What really went wrong with Rocket 3 and how much of that falls on Kemp• The decision to take the company private and buy it back for pennies on the dollar• How Astra raised $80M, and its attempt to raise another $100M+• The quiet success of its satellite propulsion business• Rocket 4, and whether this time is actually different• How Kemp is repositioning Astra as a mobile, defense-aligned launch platformQuote[25:35] Rocket 4 will launch summer 2026.[26:00] First vehicles will have ~600 kg payload capacity to a 500 km orbit, eventually upgraded to 1 ton.[26:50] Payload volume has scaled by 100x, payload mass by 10x and price is same as Rocket 3, partly by lowering engine count from 6 to 3.[29:50] Cost to orbit is ~$7500 per kg.[47:00] 'Sideways launch' would have made it to orbit but was terminated by Flight Safety Officer due to incorrect range safety data from a previous launch being loaded.[58:00] First stage engine will be tested next week. Upper Stage test fire before end of the year,
FY 2026 Plans:Continue to Support spaceflight worthiness and "Do No Harm" Certification. Execute STP-S29A, STP-S29B, and other small launch initiatives as required.
ASTRA ANNOUNCES SPACECRAFT ENGINE CONTRACT WITH APEXAPRIL 27, 2023[...] Apex’s 100 kg bus model, Aries, will use the Astra Spacecraft Engine™ to support its electric propulsion package.
Putting this here because I can't find a more specific thread to mention Apex news, and:QuoteASTRA ANNOUNCES SPACECRAFT ENGINE CONTRACT WITH APEXAPRIL 27, 2023[...] Apex’s 100 kg bus model, Aries, will use the Astra Spacecraft Engine™ to support its electric propulsion package.Apex Raises $200 Million Series D Financinghttps://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apex-raises-200-million-series-d-financing-302554449.htmlThe news from 2023 might be out of date; does Apex still use ASE for propulsion?
The news from 2023 might be out of date; does Apex still use ASE for propulsion?
[13:42] Tried to sell company to Rocket Lab[19:01] First launch out of UK/Aus[24:26] GRCop modded Chiron/Reaver firing[32:57] AI wiki (?)
At the World Space Business Week conference in Paris, Chris Kemp, chief executive of Astra, said the company was on track for a first launch of Rocket 4 in summer 2026 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. He highlighted progress Astra is making, such as tests of a new engine the company developed for the vehicle’s first stage that produces 42,000 pounds of thrust.[...]The vehicle will initially be capable of placing about 750 kilograms into low-Earth orbit for a price of $5 million. "That’ll be very competitive," Kemp said in an interview after the presentation, similar to what SpaceX charges for payloads of that size through its rideshare program.
The USSF seeks to issue a lease under the Military Leasing Act to an LSP to construct launch, recovery, and other associated space transportation infrastructure and to conduct launch activities, to include reentry operations if applicable, at SLC-46. Commercial use of CCSFS real property advances U.S. space capabilities and provides launch and launch support facilities in furtherance of U.S. policy to launch national security and other Department of War (DoW) payloads into space. The DAF may execute a lease after completion of the required environmental analysis process and issuance of an environmental decision document.[...]In order to use SLC-46, the current Navy capabilities must be replicated at another site on CCSFS. No lease can be granted for SLC-46 until the Navy accepts the new missile test site. [...]With more requests than available pads, SLD 45 seeks to bring new launch vehicles to the Eastern Range rather than providing second pads for any existing launch vehicle currently operating on the Eastern Range.[...]SLD 45 intends to allocate SLC-46 to an LSP with a launch vehicle that is technically mature enough to begin operating from SLC-46 within five years to best utilize the site.
Xenon thruster firing during pre-flight testing in our 3-chamber vacuum. (Sound on!)In recent weeks, more Astra spacecraft engines have been placed in orbit and are now supporting maneuverability for customer satellites around the globe.
Astra today announced it has shipped 110 satellite engine systems since January 1, 2025, surpassing a key operating milestone set when the company went private in 2024. The achievement reflects a step-change in production scale and execution discipline, accomplished while Astra continued to develop its new rocket and mobile launch system to support a 2026 test flight.2025 highlights: • 110 satellite engine systems shipped since January 1, 2025 • $45M 2025 GAAP revenue forecast (700% growth over 2024) • Breakeven EBITDA in 2025 ($62M improvement over 2024) • 100% mission reliability to date with all deployed systems performing nominally • $13M in contracts closed in Q4 2025 representing 36 additional systems scheduled for delivery in 2026[...]Astra Satellite Engines: Scaled, Flight-proven, and ExpandingAstra satellite engines provide precision propulsion and attitude control for satellites across multiple orbits. With the 100-unit milestone achieved, Astra is now focused on further improving throughput, reducing costs, and maximizing on-orbit performance.Astra Focused on 2026 Test Flight of New RocketIn parallel with satellite engine scale-up, Astra advanced development of its new rocket system and its mobile, containerized spaceport designed for deployment flexibility and mission-driven responsiveness. In 2025, Astra progressed major subsystems across propulsion, avionics, structures, software, and ground systems, including: • Completion of two dozen+ first-stage engine test campaigns, including 30+ second tests, feeding updated performance models and mass/efficiency improvements • Avionics build-and-test progress across the controller, stage computer, and power management systems • Vehicle design maturity progressing to approximately ~75% first-stage design completion and 90%+ upper-stage design completion • Software-in-the-loop execution through key flight events and autonomous flight safety computer qualification testing completed • Initial mobile spaceport design completed, supported by structural analysis to fit within a shipping container and withstand launch loads
