Private company Astra Space has gotten a contract from the Department of Defense to launch a complex mission for the U.S. Space Force.
Astra Space was awarded an $11.5 million task order Thursday for the Space Test Program’s STP-S29B launch. The initial launch capability is set for April 2025.
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Astra Space will use its Rocket 4 to deliver Space Force’s mission to low-Earth orbit. The mission will conduct scientific experiments and technology demonstrations.
The Space Test Program was created in 1965 and is one of the longest-running programs for the DoD. Its goal is to facilitate space technology as a component of national security. The DOD said the Space Test Program keeps the nation on the cutting edge of space technology and space warfighting.
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Astra Space bills itself as a company aimed at lowering the cost of access to space.
Astra Space has spaceports in Cape Canaveral and in Kodiak, Alaska, with plans to open a spaceport in the United Kingdom.
It’s not known yet where Astra would fly this particular mission from.
The last time Astra Space tried to launch a rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2022, the payload failed to reach low-Earth orbit.
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