The company specialises in studying organic matter of extraterrestrial origins. It often contracts civilian scientists from around the globe to assist with its investigations.[2]
History[]
Events of First Contact (2039)[]
SPIN-OFF: The following information stems from a spin-off expansion or third party Creator DLC and is considered to be non-canon in the main Armaverse timeline.
The incident, which happened one week prior on the 19th, had peculiar circumstances surrounding its events and the lead up to the accident. The Livonian government had also secretly contacted Astra and reported that a strange "root"-like object had appeared inside a sinkhole at the site, possibly of extraterrestrial origins.[3][4] The site was already quarantined and prepared for Astra's team to carry out their investigation.[5][6]
The first team consisted of only two scientists and their support crew.[2] They also brought along several specimen collection drones to examine/harvest samples if organic matter was indeed confirmed at the site.[7][8] Eight days later on July 3rd, the team arrived on site and began combing the area for signs of alien lifeforms as part of the LDF's so-called "Project Gospel" initiative.[9] However, contact with the team was temporarily lost for several hours which extended well into the next day.
When the science team was able to escape from the area[10] and re-establish communications with Astra, they outright confirmed the company's suspicions; not only did alien life exist, but they were searching for the "roots" which had sprouted all across the region. The million-year-old "roots", which Astra believed were merely the "rootcap" of a much larger subterranean network, now became the company's top priority.[11][12]
Post-First Contact[]
SPIN-OFF: The following information stems from a spin-off expansion or third party Creator DLC and is considered to be non-canon in the main Armaverse timeline.
SPINOFF INFORMATION
Six weeks pass following humanity's first contact with "The Visitors". While the rest of the world struggles to understand the motivation behind their arrival to Earth, Astra has announced that it has entered into a partnership with Vantland Industries to kickstart an ambitious space expedition project, dubbed "Acaronar".[13]
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Dubbed the 'journey to end all journeys', Acaronar will see a series of miniscule, waferlike robotic probes sent deep into space at a velocity one quarter the speed of light. The spacecraft themselves, designed by Vantland Industries, weigh as little as a gram and boast a series of special sensors, which will send information back to Earth.
Astra announces the commencement of the Acaronar project
»
"Acaronar" is scheduled to depart on the anniversary of the alien arrival in the summer of 2040 according to the project's lead engineer, Katya Rosing. It will involve a swarm of miniature robotic probes which will be dispatched to Proxima Centauri and return photographs of planets orbiting within the system as early as the 2060s. These probes will be launched by a laser array spanning almost 10 kilometres and hovering in low orbit, employing almost 70 gigawatts of power in the process.[13]
A parallel project titled "Eter" will also be commencing at the same time as "Acaronar" but with a different objective. Rather than travelling to Proxima Centauri, "Eter" will be tracing the path of "The Visitors" back to the Sagittarius constellation. Using the medium of neutrinos, a message - composed by the United NationsOne Voice council - will be beamed to a fixed point in the system and (hopefully) receive a reply from "The Visitors".[14]
Both "Eter" and "Acaronar" had been previously considered long before first contact, though they were cancelled due to soaring costs and overall lack of interest from the international community. The revitalisation of both projects is largely attributed to the fact that almost every nation on the planet is now contributing to funding them. With the backing of the world's superpowers[15], Astra is prominently at the forefront of humanity's attempts to reach out to alien life.
But only time will tell if the projects bring about a positive outcome for humanity...[12]
Given the company's focus and background, it's not entirely certain as to whether it exists in the main Armaverse timeline as no official material references to its existence (outside of the expansion's non-canon campaign).
References[]
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "In other news, Astra, the international space agency, has confirmed reports that they will go ahead with the ambitious 'Acaronar' project."
↑ 2.02.12.2ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Close Encounters, "Good evening, lads. I'm Dr. Ian Kesson. A theoretical physicist and professor at Maxwell University, Edinburgh. With me, is Dr. Šimon Čapek, who's bloody T-shirt says it all. [...] Eight days ago, I was approached in a bizarre manner by the international space agency - Astra. They asked me to travel to Livonia. TS clearance, a short stay, in bosh and out. No questions. I figured they wanted me to investigate your training disaster. I wasn't wrong. But, they also wanted my scientific assessment of an object, spotted in a sinkhole that collapsed after the accident occurred. It was the rootcap of a much larger subterranean structure - the tip of something that has been growing for millions of years."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Going Dark, "LDF SOLDIER: Gray Wolf. This is Charlie. Dr. Lem has a preliminary assessment on the root. Over. GRAY WOLF: Roger. And has his team reached any kind of consensus on our worst case scenarios? Over. LDF SOLDIER: That's unknown, sir. It's generating neutrinos at an incredible rate as we already know. But we're not sure why. [...] Reconnaissance. For an invasion, perhaps? And if those neutrinos are a message, as Dr. Lem insists, then it is possible it could be a cosmic clarion call."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Going Dark, "LDF SOLDIER 1: No - no way. Whatever it is, it's a bigger deal than that, man. Friendly fire aside, you think we'd kick the Americans out for a bit of space rock? LDF SOLDIER 2: Right. But what about the roots...? I mean, you heard them say interplanetary contamination, right? So, maybe it's a meteorite?"
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Going Dark, "And what about the crane at the old factory? If they were tearing it down, fine, I'd get it. But there's lights, and trucks, and all sorts of shit going on. The entire area's completely sealed off! It doesn't add up..."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Anomalous Phenomena, "STYPE: New plan. Dr. Kesson's saying we need another mini UGV. Over. RUDWELL: Perfect. So, where is it? STYPE: Shapka-41. That big ol' radar site, on the ridge. And before you throw a hissy fit. I know. The LDF are there."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Anomalous Phenomena, "GRAY WOLF: Gray Wolf to Black Fox - what's the status on Echo's science equipment? Over. LDF SOLDIER: The first consignment's prepped and ready by the inner gate. As for equipment, the bots? They're in the Astra van. Figured we'd leave them in there, seeing as they didn't get damaged in the pulse. Over."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Going Dark, "Jack. Don't answer. I'm in, like, in the factory. I may have found something. A research file on some Project Gospel. And there's scientists, from Astra. It's gotta be because of that thing we saw. This is big... big."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Elimination Coda, "KRUPIN: Shashka. Nagaika. Paratroopers. The motherland's here enforce. That our cue? Over. SEVEROV: Indeed it is, Sergeant. Assist with the vertical envelopment. Make sure you identify your targets. The Americans will rendezvous at LZ Urugan. Astra personnel, also in tow. ETA's one minute. How copy? Over. KRUPIN: Roger. Nagaika copies all. Securing site. Friendlies to extraction. One minute. Out."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "ROOK: The big question is, if the Electron Exercises triggered something, how did The Visitors get here so quickly? At the moment, the scientific community is, well - honestly? It's divided. INTERVIEWER: Okay, walk us through it, Dr. Rook. Rook: Famed cosmologist, Moravec, claims they were travelling for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. The buried objects, according to him, only became active once the 11 craft entered our solar system."
↑ 12.012.1ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "RADIO HOST: Even though there wasn't any danger from alien bacteria? KESSON: Right. But, what you've got to remember is an unknown threat... it can be as dangerous as a known one. RADIO HOST: And what was your reaction when you learned The Visitors were elsewhere in the world? You didn't know there were 11 ships in total, at the time... KESSON: I was relieved, I guess. I mean, I figured, not everybody could have messed it up quite as bad as we did. I'm just glad they saw us as we are. In our infuriating complexity, y'know?"
↑ 13.013.1ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "In other news, Astra, the international space agency, has confirmed reports that they will go ahead with the ambitious 'Acaronar' project. Dubbed the 'journey to end all journeys', Acaronar will see a series of miniscule, waferlike robotic probes sent deep into space at a velocity one quarter the speed of light. The first step, however, involves constructing a huge, 10 kilometer laser array in orbit - employing 70 gigawatts of power. Lead engineer on the project, Katya Rosing, has said components for the laser array will be launched on the anniversary of First Contact in the summer of next year."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "A parallel project, 'Eter', is also commencing this week. It hopes to trace the trajectory of The Visitors within the Sagittarius constellation - and then, to beam a message at a fixed point using the medium of neutrinos. The message itself will be composed by the UN's 'One Voice' council and marks the first of many attempts to reconnect with alien life."
↑ARMA 3:Contact 2019 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., First Contact, Another Earth, "Previously cancelled due to soaring costs, the undertaking has now been resumed, with significant financial support coming in from almost every nation in the world."
