Astros were first launched in 1997 by Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, the United States and South Africa as a rival to Nestlé Smarties, and Mars M&M's in the US. The confectionery can be described as a candy coated chocolate with a biscuit centre. They have since been discontinued in the UK, but are still sold in South Africa, and are available in 40g and 150g boxes. In Australia, they were marketed as Lunas. See also List of chocolate bar brands Notes and references External links Independent, The (London), Aug 7, 1997 by Nigel Cope Cadbury-Schweppes Find a Brand Cadbury brands Products introduced in 1997 Mondelez International brands