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In 2015 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected the company for a pair of research awards to develop propulsion systems for use in space and — in the words of the press release announcing the award — “on other worlds.” One of the awards is financing the company’s research, a “pump-fed propulsion system for a Mars ascent vehicle.”

Astra Space works in Building 397, a 17,400-square-foot structure that the Navy built 50 years ago. The facility was used to overhaul aircraft and test jet engines. “Staff hope that (the company) will … consider expanding its innovative operations or be a catalyst for other similar companies,” city staff stated in a report to the City Council.