Alessandro Malaspina makes a commercial circumnavigation of the world on behalf of the Royal Philippines Company from September 1786 to May 1788

During this voyage he is in command of the frigate Astrea.

His route goes via the Cape of Good Hope and, returning, Cape Horn.

Astrea calls at Concepción in Chile in February 1787, whose military governor, the Irish-born Ambrose Higgins, had six months before recommended that Spain organize an expedition to the Pacific similar to those led by Lapérouse and Cook.

Higgins had made this recommendation following the visit of the Lapérouse expedition to Concepción in March 1786, and presumably discusses it with Malaspina while the Astrea is at Concepción.