Press Releases

2024

Ad Astra Rocket Company and The Space Nuclear Power Corporation Forge Strategic Alliance to Pioneer High-Power Nuclear Electric Propulsion

Ad Astra Rocket Company is Selected for Phase II NASA Contract for Advancing the Development of a Critical Element of the VASIMR® Engine

2023

Ad Astra Rocket Company Wins Two NASA Contracts for VASIMR® Technology Development

Aethera™ Technologies Limited Makes Equity Investment in Ad Astra Rocket Company

Steven M. Chapman and John C. Wall are elected to the Ad Astra Rocket Company Board of Directors

2022

Ad Astra Rocket Company appoints James C. Clarke as Chief Financial Officer

2021

Ad Astra Rocket Company Honored by Goldman Sachs for Entrepreneurship, Franklin Chang Díaz, Ad Astra CEO among 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs at 2021 BUILDERS + INNOVATORS SUMMIT  10/13/2021

VASIMR® VX-200SS Plasma Rocket Completes Record Hour High-Power Endurance Test. 07, 21, 2021

Ad Astra Rocket Company Shatters Power and Endurance Record in Recent Tests of the VASIMR® VX-200SS Plasma Rocket 07, 09, 2021

2020

Aethera’s New RF Power Processing Unit for the VASIMR Engine Successfully Completes Full Power Vacuum and Magnetic Field Tests at Ad Astra Rocket Company’s Texas Facility, 01/23/2020

 

2019

Aethera’s New RF Power Processing Unit for the VASIMR Engine Completes Full Power Acceptance Tests at Ad Astra Rocket Company’s Texas Facility, 08/20/2019

 

2018

Aethera Technologies Limited and Canadian Space Agency sign $1.5M R&D agreement boosting Ad Astra Rocket Company’s VASIMR® development, 06/26/18

 

2017

Ad Astra Rocket Company successfully completes all NASA NextStep Contract Milestones for year two, receives NASA approval to proceed with year three, 08/09/17

 

2016

Ad Astra Rocket Company successfully completes all NASA NextStep Contract Milestones for year one, receives NASA approval to proceed with year two, 08/03/16

 

2015

Ad Astra Rocket Company in Orbital ATK Team Selected for NASA’s second research and technology for aerospace propulsion systems (RTAPS) contract, 09/22/15
Ad Astra’s Dr. Jared P. Squire is elected Associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 09/11/15
Ad Astra Rocket Company and NASA move to execution phase of NextStep VASIMR® partnership, 08/10/15
Ad Astra Rocket Company wins major NASA advanced propulsion contract, 03/31/15

 

2013

AARC and NASA sign new agreements on VASIMR® development, 12/19/13
New plasma technology patent issued to AARC, 12/05/13
Theodore “Tim” Solso is elected to the Ad Astra Board of Directors, 11/12/13
AARC scientists author eight scietific papers presented at IEPC-2013, 10/09/13
Ambassador Anne Andrew is elected to the Ad Astra Board of Directors, 10/03/13
Ad Astra Rocket Company reaches important design review milestone, 6/28/13
José A. Zaglul is elected to the Ad Astra Board of Directors, 4/8/13
Ad Astra’s Christopher Olsen presents groundbreaking VASIMR result in PhD thesis milestone, 2/2/13

 

2012

VASIMR prototype increases high-power performance, demonstrates efficient constant power throttling, 7/27/12
AARC and NASA JSC sign agreement on VASIMR payload safety and reliability support, 5/31/12
AARC Costa Rica scientists participate in new zero-gravity flight, 5/16/12

 

2011

Ad Astra unveils mock-up of space platform ‘Aurora’, 10/12/11
AARC Costa Rica selects two scientists for Microgravity Flight, 5/26/11
Ad Astra and NASA sign Support Agreement on VASIMR technology, 3/8/11

 

2010

VASIMR VX-200 Meets Full Power Efficiency Milestone, 11/23/10
AARC and MEI Technologies, Inc. form Strategic Alliance, 1/14/10

 

2009

VX-200 reaches 200 kW, 9/30/09
VX-200 demonstrates superconducting first stage at full power, 7/2/09
VX-200 superconducting magnet delivered, accepted, 03/06/09

 

2008

NASA and AARC sign Agreement for VASIMR flight test, 12/12/08
VX-200 first stage achieves full power, 10/24/08
AARC – CORAAL agreement, 05/09/08
ATK – AARC Alliance, 03/26/08
Status and Schedule, 03/04/08

 

2007

Agreement with NASA signed, 12/10/07
Last plasma at NASA, 10/2/07
First commercial contract, 8/21/07
Achieving record plasma, 6/12/07
Helicon milestone in CR, 6/12/07
2006 milestones & 2007 goals, 1/30/07