All articles tagged with #northrop grumman
NASA has paused work on Northrop Grumman’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) as the agency shifts lunar plans from an orbital gateway to a surface-based Moon base; NG says most affected staff will be reassigned and HALO could be repurposed, while a separate HALO life-support contract with Paragon Space Development Corp. was told to stop, signaling a likely wind-down of the Lunar Gateway effort.
Blue Origin’s pad explosion accelerates SpaceX’s default position on NASA’s launch manifest, opening a window for five US space contractors to benefit: Rocket Lab as a near-term Falcon 9 rival with its Neutron program; AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites riding Falcon 9; Lockheed Martin’s Artemis program role; Northrop Grumman’s GEM motors and HALO lunar hardware; and Intuitive Machines’ CLPS lunar payloads. With SpaceX not being publicly traded, investors are eyeing these proxy plays to ride the evolving space economy while cautioning that the rest of the Street may soon reprice these bets.
Northrop Grumman has teamed with Apex to develop space-based interceptors for the Space Force's Golden Dome missile-defense plan, one of 12 firms selected to explore concepts. Apex provides standardized satellite buses to enable faster, cheaper production. The partners aim to demonstrate an on-orbit capability by 2027 and scale production through commercial collaboration, while questions linger about whether space-based interceptors can be affordable at scale given the program’s potential high costs. Other industry players are pursuing similar partnerships under Other Transaction Authority to accelerate prototyping.
The Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract to build an Enhanced PTS-P prototype satellite to validate anti-jam and cyber-resilient Protected Military Satellite Communications, using the ESPAStar-HP bus; launch is scheduled no earlier than 2030 and the demonstrations will inform future protected-satcom procurements.
Daniel Wm. McAndrew of Erie, a lifelong electronics and engineering enthusiast who led Simulation Engineering at the International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots and later worked at Northrop Grumman, is remembered for his kindness, talent, and music; he is survived by his brothers Joey, Denise, JoAnne, Patrick, and Matthew, and was preceded in death by baby brother Paul; a private memorial will be held.
NASA’s briefing exposed corrosion on Lunar Gateway’s HALO and I-HAB habitats. Northrop Grumman acknowledged a manufacturing irregularity, ESA confirmed corrosion on I-HAB, and Thales Alenia Space issued a statement noting a surface metallurgical issue on HALO and promising repairs by the end of Q3 2026, with similar actions for I-HAB in coordination with ESA. Axiom Space reported related issues on Module 1. The disclosures raise questions about repair feasibility and could affect Gateway timelines beyond 2030, while underscoring competition in space-habitat pressure vessels.
Ars Technica reports that the Lunar Gateway’s two habitable modules, HALO and I-HAB, show corrosion likely from a manufacturing irregularity involving forging, surface treatment, and materials. Northrop Grumman says HALO repairs should wrap by the end of Q3 and that the module can still be repurposed for lunar use, while ESA calls the issue technically manageable; I-HAB remains under construction as Gateway was paused to focus on the Moon.
Northrop Grumman booked a $71 million unfavorable adjustment to earnings in Q1 2026 to cover evaluation and corrective actions after a GEM 63XL booster anomaly on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur during the February USSF-87 launch. The incident shed debris but did not derail the mission; Space Force and ULA are pursuing a root-cause investigation with no fixed return-to-flight timeline, and possible Vulcan configurations without boosters are being considered.
With Vulcan booster nozzle failures prompting investigation, the Space Force says reliability will heavily influence future launch procurements, including potential mission swaps to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and other providers as officials weigh which rockets will carry critical national-security satellites and how to structure the next NSSL competition.
SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo ship NG-24 atop a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, delivering about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg) of science gear and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus XL, named S.S. Steven R. Nagel, will be grappled by Canadarm2 on April 13, marking the second Cygnus XL flight, while the booster returned to a Cape Canaveral landing about eight minutes after liftoff.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo freighter, the largest to visit the ISS, was jettisoned from the Unity module carrying thousands of pounds of garbage and is slated to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after release over the south Atlantic.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft — the S.S. Willie "Willie" McCool — left the International Space Station on March 12, after a nearly six-month stay delivering about 11,000 pounds of science gear and supplies. Detaching from Unity, Canadarm2 released Cygnus at 7:06 a.m. EST, and the freighter will deorbit to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, joining the ISS cargo fleet alongside SpaceX’s Dragon, Russia’s Progress, and JAXA’s HTV-X.
The U.S. strike on Iran has boosted defense stocks, lifting a defense-focused ETF and sending Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman higher as investors anticipate increased military spending and heightened geopolitical tensions; the rally extends to other defense players and European contractors, though long-term exposure may hinge on shifts in defense programs and platforms.
The Air Force and Northrop Grumman agreed to boost annual B-21 Raider production by 25% using $4.5 billion from FY2025 reconciliation to accelerate delivery of the stealth bomber fleet, preserving cost and performance discipline. With 2025 deliveries on schedule and a planned 2027 ramp at Ellsworth AFB, the B-21 remains central to nuclear modernization and long-range strike, enabling faster fielding of combat capability to deter and defeat emerging threats.
The U.S. Space Force awarded $1.6 billion in contracts to Rocket Lab and Northrop Grumman to build 36 satellites for missile warning and tracking, focusing on hypersonic missile threats, marking significant growth for Rocket Lab as it transitions into a major space contractor.