Highlights:

• 3 metres grading 4.34 g/t gold and 363.7 g/t silver in a 50 metre step-out at the new Basalto Zone, remains open

• 8 metres grading 3.12 g/t gold and 10.3 g/t silver in a 200 metre northwest step-out in Manchuria Hill Eastern Zone, remains open to the northwest

• Manchuria Hill Target remains open with larger 10,000-20,000 metre drill program planned to define the Manchuria Hill size potential and test regional targets

• Regional targets show Manchuria Hill Target to be part of a larger epithermal system with multiple undrilled targets including La Pampa Zone, 3km northeast, with 1.8 g/t gold in vein float samples.

• La Manchuria claim group has been expanded from ~5,600 hectares to ~39,000 hectares by staking open adjacent claim blocks

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 17, 2026) - Astra Exploration Inc. (TSXV: ASTR) (OTCQX: ATEPF) (FSE: S3I) ("Astra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the second and final batch of assays consisting of eight DDH holes from the Phase III drill program at the La Manchuria Gold and Silver Project in Santa Cruz, Argentina. CEO, Brian Miller gives a quick video summarization of this news release - click here to watch the video.

Astra's CEO, Brian Miller commented:

"Drilling at the Manchuria Hill Target continues to step out and hit high grade gold and silver intercepts which remain open. Stepping out to define the full extent of the Manchuria Hill Target will be a focus of our follow-up drill program planned for Q4, 2026. Beyond Manchuria Hill, a compilation of geological and geophysical datasets have defined five priority drill targets over a 4 by 4 kilometre footprint that shows the Manchuria Hill Target to be a piece of a much larger epithermal system. The planned drill program of 10,000-20,000 metres will be split between expansion drilling and regional exploration to unlock the size potential of the Manchuria District as quickly as possible. Combined with a planned drill program on our Don Mario project in Chile, Astra's strong treasury of C$12.5M supports our significant, fully-funded, discovery drilling programs over the coming months."

Program Details

A total of 16 drill holes were completed between April and June 2026 totaling 5,176 metres (see June 30, 2026 news release, "Astra Provides Exploration Update and Receives Independent Analyst Coverage From ATB Cormark Capital Markets"). The drill program focused on testing the depth (200-300 metres vertical) extension of the Main and Eastern Zones and expanding the near-surface footprint of the system with shallow (<200 metres vertical) drill holes. Deeper drilling has not returned favorable vein widths due to a poor host lithology, but step-out holes continue to deliver strong grades and widths which remain open in all four cardinal directions.

Drill Results and Discussion

The group of eight drill holes reported herein were focused on expanding the west (Basalto Zone), north (Main and Eastern Zones), and east (Road Zone) areas of the near surface mineralization at the Manchuria Hill Target (Figure 1). These shallow holes consist of 50-to-200-metre step-outs which extend the system to the west, north and east. Mineralization remains open in all four cardinal directions (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Phase III holes at Manchuria Hill drilled to date with assays for the second group of eight holes highlighted in green. Best results are shown as disseminated (light blue) and high-grade (red). All values are in g/t.

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District Scale Potential

The Manchuria Hill Target has been the focus of Astra's exploration of the Manchuria Project. While completing the current drill program, the Company has been advancing regional targets to be drill ready discovery opportunities.

The company has undertaken detailed field mapping and sampling, doubled the size of its modelled and interpreted geophysical datasets and has added 33,400 additional hectares of prospective area by staking open ground.

Figure 2: Regional targets at La Manchuria. Upper-left: magnetic images showing favourable de-magnetized target areas. Lower-left: Resistivity plan map showing structures proven to host veins at Manchuria Hill. Right: Geology map with regional targets labelled in pink.

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Drill Results Table

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Table 1: Assays from the final eight holes of Phase III drilling at La Manchuria using cutoff grade of 0.3 g/t AuEq. Ag:Au ratio of 60 using $3,600 Au and $60 Ag. Recoveries of 94% for Au and 85% for Ag is an average based on three regional mine operations¹ and are reflected in AuEq and AgEq values above. Table shows results greater than 0.3 g/t AuEq. Estimated true widths are approximately 85% of widths reported herein.

Sampling Procedures

Drill samples consisted of HQ core which were split in half, sampled, bagged, and tagged by Astra's geological team and then delivered to the Alex Stewart International Argentina laboratory in Mendoza. Drill samples were prepared with P5 code and then analyzed with fire assay for gold (Au4-50) and multi-elements by ICP (ICP-AR 39). Silver (>100 g/t) and gold (>50 g/t) high-grade values were analyzed by gravity method (Ag4A-50 & Au4A-50). A total of 152 Blanks and 152 standards (2 different Au and Ag grade ranges) were used as QAQC for the group of 2,893 samples.

About the Company

Astra Exploration Inc. is a precious metals exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC that is actively building a portfolio of high-quality projects in some of the most important mining jurisdictions in Latin America.

The 80% owned La Manchuria gold-silver project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, over which Astra has an option to acquire 90% interest from Patagonia Gold Corp, is a high-grade gold and silver low sulphidation epithermal (LSE) deposit located in the prolific Deseado Massif which hosts multiple world-class LSE precious metals deposits including Cerro Vanguardia and Cerro Negro, Santa Cruz, Argentina.

The 100% owned Pampa Paciencia gold and silver project in northern Chile is located in the Paleocene mineral province in proximity to such major operating mines as Spence and Sierra Gorda. The project shares several important geological similarities to other Paleocene LSE gold-silver deposits including Faride and El Peñón.

The 100% owned Don Mario (renamed from Cerro Bayo) project in northern Chile is located in the Maricunga belt approximately 20 km from the Refugio Mine. The project hosts a high sulphidation epithermal (HSE) +/- porphyry gold system with similarities to the La Coipa, Refugio, and Salares Norte deposits in the same belt. The Maricunga belt is one of the most endowed regions in the world for gold and copper deposits.

Qualified Person

The technical data and information as disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Darcy Marud, who is an Independent Director of Astra. Mr. Marud is a Practicing Member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

References:

¹ Sources:

Steinmann, Michael, March 2006
Manantial-Espejo Project Canadian Standard NI 43-101, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Prepared for Minera Triton Argentina, S.A.
https://panamericansilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Manantial-Espejo-Technical-Report.pdf

Goldcorp - Third Quarter Report, September 30, 2017
https://s24.q4cdn.com/382246808/files/doc_financials/mda/2017/MD-A-FS-2017Q3-Website.pdf

AngloGoldAshanti - Technical Report Summary, Cerro Vanguardia, A Life of Mine Summary Report, December 31, 2021
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1067428/000162828022007855/a2021_-xcerroxvanguardia.htm

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward- looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Company's business activities; exploration on the Company's properties including drilling at the La Manchuria project. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: development of the industry in which the Company operates; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's business activities; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; laws and regulations governing the industry in which the Company operates; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and other risk factors disclosed in the Company's public disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

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Source: Astra Exploration Inc.