Our Projects
Up here you'll find the links to each of our projects, aswell as related content in the blink of an eye. Scroll down further or use one of the quicklinks to jump to a detailed write-up.
Transcendence
Project Kármán is the first and primary project of ASTRA, aiming to design, build, and launch a hybrid rocket, called Transcendance, capable of reaching the Kármán line at 100 km altitude.
The Kármán line is commonly regarded as the outer boundary between usable airspace for aviation and spaceflight.
Reaching this boundary is generally considered the first step toward developing launch system technologies and a solid platform for understanding the technical challenges involved.
Characteristics
Expected Specifications
Goal Altitude:
100 km
Expected mass:
275 kg
Payload mass:
5 kg
Max Thrust:
24 kN
Max G-Force:
20g
Max Speed:
5,400 km/h
Ascendance
In May 2025, ASTRA conducted its first solid-motor rocket launch near Karlshöfen, Germany-- approximately one hour from Bremen. Ascendance reached slightly above 1 km and marked ASTRA's first domestically conducted launch, aswell as first solid motor launch and lightest rocket ever built.
Ascendance's goal was to test key aspects of what might later make it into Transcendence: we tested whether our new Avionics stack triggers accurately and whether our telemetry works or not. We also wanted to ensure that the nosecone deploys after we redesigned the separation systems, as well as that the parachutes are deployed properly. And of course, we also wanted to figure out whether our detachable rail attachments are working.
Phoenix
Phoenix (previously known as KARMA 2.0) is ASTRAs latest hybrid rocket and the first to successfully launch, back in November 2024. Designed for 9 km of altitude, it tested key subsystems and delivered critical data for Project Kármán.
Originally designed to partake in the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC) in Portugal, Phoenix took quite a different journey as ASTRA wasn't able to attend EuRoC in 2024. As testing our systems through Phoenix was a crucial part in our plans for Project Kármán we flew the project & crew out to California, into the Mojave desert where we finally got the chance to launch. Not without hassle though...
While we were unable to have neither our fins or ground systems delivered on time due to unforeseen shipping issues, the Team managed to pull through constructing ad-hoc solutions for our missing systems, ultimately enabling us to still go through with the launch.
