I-Astra's Rocket 3.1 ishiye unxweme lwaseAlaska kwindawo yokuqalisa i-Kodiak yaseAstra nge-12 kaSeptemba 2020.ubume Imarike yemasheya yaseMelika yamkela inkampani yayo yokuqala yerokethi ngoLwesine. Ayiyo IsithubaX , I-Virgin, okanye nayiphi na into ehamba phambili ebamba iintloko, kodwa into encinci eyaziwayo (benza iirokethi ezincinci, ziimitha ezingama-38 ubude kuphela) ukusuka kwi-Bay Area ebizwa ngokuba yi-Astra Space.
Isithuba se-Astra uqale ukurhweba kwi-Nasdaq ngoLwesine njengoko igqibezela ukudibana ne-Holicity, inkampani ekhethekileyo yokufumana injongo (i-SPAC) exhaswa ngu IBill Bill, umnxeba wezigidigidi uCraig McCaw kunye nabanye abatyali mali. Ukudibanisa amaxabiso kwinkampani edityanisiweyo kwi-2.1 yezigidigidi zeedola. Ngaphambi kwesivumelwano se-SPAC, i-Astra yayiphakamise kuphela i-100 lezigidi zeedola kwikomkhulu. Kulindeleke ukuba inyuse i-500 yezigidi zeerandi kwimali eziinkozo kuludwe lwabantu.
Le yeyona ndlela ikhawulezayo yokuba singanyusi ngaphezulu kwesiqingatha sezigidigidi zeedola kodwa sifikelele kwiimarike zoluntu, u-CEO we-Astra uChris Kemp uxelele i-CNBC ngoFebruwari xa isivumelwano besibhengeziwe.
Ngokungafaniyo ne-SpaceX, i-ULA kunye nezinye iikhontrakthi ezinkulu ze-NASA ezakha iirokethi ezinkulu, i-Astra igxile ekwenzeni iirokethi ukulungiselela ukuhambisa ii-satellite. Inkampani ifikelele kwindawo (kodwa hayi ukujikeleza) okokuqala ngoDisemba ophelileyo ngexesha lovavanyo lwenqwelomoya yeRocket 3.2 evela kwiPacific Spaceport Complex eAlaska.
Umlandeli wakhe, iRocket 3.3, kulindeleke ukuba afezekise i-orbit kwimishini yokusebenza kweli hlobo. I-Astra ijonge ukubhabha kwimishini veki nganye kunyaka olandelayo kwaye kunokwenzeka ukuba kuthunyelwe yonke imihla ngo-2025. Ukuya esidlangalaleni kusinika indlela exhaswa ngemali ngokupheleleyo kukuhanjiswa kwamajukujuku kwemihla ngemihla. Sasingenayo ngaphambili, uKemp uxelele Isithuba Space.com ngoLwesine.
Sithotyiwe ngokupheleleyo lithuba lokuba nabanini zabelo kuluntu ngoku ukuxhasa imishini, kwaye ndicinga ukuba lo ngumzuzu omuhle kakhulu wembali, wongeze watsho. I-Astra iza kujongana nokhuphiswano olukhulu kungekudala. Irabha yeRocket, imbangi ethe ngqo eyenza iiarokethi ezincinci ezisa isathelayithi, isetelwe ukuba idlale esidlangalaleni ngokudityaniswa kwe-SPAC kunye neVector Acquisition Corporation kunye noqikelelo lwasemva kokudweliswa kwi-4.1 yezigidigidi zeedola. I-Rocket Lab ibisungule imishini yokusebenza ukusukela nge-2018.
