The project to develop the missile was officially sanctioned in 2004 with a budget of . The project was to be led by Defence Research and Development Laboratory with assistance from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. The initial version of Astra Mk-1 reportedly weighed with a range of and was planned to be integrated with HAL Tejas. It was tested for the first time in May 2003. The missile was redesigned around 2006 due to control issues and performance deficiencies at high altitude. The initial design of four cruciform short-span long-chord wings were replaced by cropped delta wings placed near the nose. The redesigned missile had an improved propulsion system and was tested for the first time in 2008. By 2013, the missile had been redesigned again in response to multiple failures caused by adverse interactions between flight control surfaces. The control, guidance, and propulsion systems were also reconfigured. After the second redesign, the missile was lighter than the initial version by around . It was tested from the ground thrice in December 2012 and captive trials from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI were held in April 2013. Variants Air-to-air missile versions After the deployment of Astra Mk-1, several offshoot versions are being planned including an imaging Infra-red homing missile tentatively classified as Astra-IR, a longer range Astra Mk-2 version and a further development called Astra Mk-3. India's DRDO is undertaking work on a Mk 2 version of the Astra missile and has planned to enhance its range using an in-house developed dual-pulse rocket motor by May 2022. The missile will have a similar design as well as share a smokeless propulsion of its predecessor Mk-1, boast a laser proximity fuze and some newer technologies like a home-grown AESA radar seeker. DRDO plans to extend the range of the Mk-2 version to , rivalling American AMRAAM AIM 120-D. A future variant Mk-3 based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) engine is being jointly developed by India and Russia. The missile was first tested on 30 May 2018 and further test was carried out on 8 February 2019. The aim of the program to develop an indigenous missile rivalling AIM-260 JATM and MBDA Meteor. Surface-to-air missile versions To fulfill the need of Indian Navy's replacement of Barak-1 short range surface-to-air missile system, DRDO successfully test fired two VL-SRSAM on 22 February 2021 at Odisha coast. The maiden launch tested