We’ll know soon if Astra—the commercial space company—has a future

Enlarge / Astra's Rocket 3 vehicle lifts off from Alaska on November 20, 2021, on the company's first successful launch into orbit. (credit: Astra/Brady Kenniston)

Over the last two years, Astra has become one of just a handful of the dozens of startup launch companies to actually put something into orbit. This is a measure of the technical acumen of Astra engineers, who set out to execute on the vision of the company's cofounders, Chris Kemp and Adam London.

During the same period, Astra's financials have taken a nose dive. When Astra went public in mid-2021, it had a valuation of $2.6 billion. The company's market value is around $25 million, based on Astra's closing price on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

A week ago, Astra's market value was even lower. The number rose after Astra revealed Thursday that Kemp and London made an offer to take the company private in a bid to save the startup they established in 2016.