ALAMEDA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Astra won a multi-launch NASA contract to deliver a constellation into orbit that will allow scientists to improve their measurements of tropical storms. The $7.95 million contract entails three launches next year to deliver six satellites into space as part of NASA’s TROPICS program.

“We’re thrilled to be working with NASA on such an important program, and appreciate the trust the agency has placed in our launch capabilities,” said Chris Kemp, Founder and CEO of Astra. “TROPICS’ objective to enhance the world’s understanding of deadly storms directly aligns with our mission to improve life on Earth from space.”

“NASA’s selection of high-cadence launches that directly insert the satellites into the right orbits validates Astra’s approach,” said Adam London, Founder and CTO of Astra. “Larger rockets are too expensive for dedicated small satellite missions and orbital transfer vehicles take too long to get to the right orbit – we believe dedicated, direct insertion will be an increasingly preferred way to deploy satellite constellations.”

NASA’s TROPICS program, which stands for Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats, will deploy a constellation of identical CubeSats satellites to allow scientists to measure the temperature, pressure and humidity of hurricanes and other tropical storms. Astra will launch the six CubeSats in the first half of 2022.

About Astra

Astra Space Inc. was founded in October 2016 with the mission of launching a new generation of space services to improve life on Earth. Visit www.astra.com for more information.