Astra’s Chris Kemp Sparks Controversy with Scathing Remarks at Berkeley Space Symposium
Chris Kemp, founder and CEO of Astra, made some bold and uncharacteristically rough comments about his competitors in the launch industry during a recent talk at the Berkeley Space Symposium. The event, which drew a large audience of undergraduate students and industry professionals, was intended to showcase Astra’s successes and failures, as well as provide insights into its vision for the future.
However, Kemp periodically deviated from his prepared remarks to launch verbal attacks on several rival companies, including Firefly, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab. While some of his criticisms may have been justified, they were delivered in a manner that is unlikely to generate goodwill or support for Astra’s rejuvenation efforts.
Astra’s Engine Debacle with Firefly
One of the most striking moments from Kemp’s talk came when he discussed Astra’s partnership with Firefly. The two companies had entered into an agreement to purchase and develop Firefly’s Reaver engine, which would power Astra’s larger Rocket 4 vehicle. However, Kemp revealed that the engine was a disaster, citing issues with consistency and quality.
"We bought the engine from them, and it was garbage," Kemp said bluntly. "We literally could not get the same engine twice from them. And none of them matched the CAD [computer-aided design]. And if you’re in engineering, you know that just doesn’t work."
Firefly responded to Kemp’s comments by stating that their Reaver engines have performed flawlessly and have been hot-fired over a thousand times. They also emphasized the success of their Alpha launch vehicle, which has reached orbit multiple times.
Kemp’s Critique of Blue Origin
Early in his talk, Kemp referenced different approaches to innovation, comparing Astra’s iterative design method with more traditional approaches employed by companies like Blue Origin and NASA. He claimed that Blue Origin’s approach was slow and expensive, requiring tens of billions of dollars over decades to develop a single rocket.
"I call it the Blue Origin and NASA approach, where you spend tens of billions of dollars, and in 20 or 30 years you build a rocket and it works the first time," Kemp said. "This is super important if what you’re trying to optimize is, it works the first time."
However, Kemp’s criticism may have been overly simplistic. Blue Origin has made significant progress with its New Shepard vehicle, which has flown 35 times with only one failure. The company’s massive New Glenn rocket also took several years to develop, but did not require the kind of investment Kemp described.
Kemp’s Praise for SpaceX and Critique of Rocket Lab
Kemp generally praised SpaceX for its innovative approach and willingness to fail publicly in order to move quickly. However, he sought to differentiate Astra from SpaceX by highlighting the company’s more relaxed working environment.
"It’s more fun than SpaceX, because we’re not on the border of Mexico where they’ll chop your head off if you accidentally take a left turn," Kemp said, trying to be humorous. "And you don’t have to live in a trailer. And we don’t make you work six and a half days a week, 12 hours a day."
Kemp’s longest-standing rival in the launch industry is Rocket Lab, founded by Peter Beck. While he did not take any direct shots at Beck during his talk, Kemp hinted that Astra had learned valuable lessons from its partnership with Firefly.
"That little rocket is too small," Kemp said about Rocket 3. "And so is Electron."
Astra’s New Focus on Reliability
Kemp acknowledged that Astra has made significant strides in improving its practices and manufacturing to build vehicles that won’t fail anymore. He emphasized the importance of reliability in achieving scale, referencing the company’s decision to focus on building a mobile, tactical rocket for national defense interests.
"Rocket 3 was the cowboy rocket," Kemp said. "The big idea was, you can’t get to scale without reliability."
Overall, Kemp’s talk provided valuable insights into Astra’s history and vision for the future. However, his scathing remarks about competitors are unlikely to generate goodwill or support for the company’s rejuvenation efforts.
Conclusion
Kemp’s comments at the Berkeley Space Symposium have sparked controversy in the launch industry. While some of his criticisms may have been justified, they were delivered in a manner that is likely to alienate Astra from its rivals and detract from the company’s efforts to rebuild its reputation. As Astra continues to navigate the challenges of the launch industry, it will be interesting to see how Kemp’s remarks impact the company’s relationships with its competitors and partners.