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Northrop Grumman

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Northrop Grumman's YFQ-48A Talon Blue Completes First Autonomous Flight
defense6 days ago

Northrop Grumman's YFQ-48A Talon Blue Completes First Autonomous Flight

Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue completed its first fully autonomous flight on October 3, 2026, from Mojave Air and Space Port. The uncrewed aircraft, built by subsidiary Scaled Composites, successfully executed taxi, takeoff, maneuvers, and landing. This milestone advances the company’s internally funded Project Talon, which aims to provide affordable, mass-producible autonomous airpower for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 2 program. The aircraft features a Pratt & Whitney PW500 engine, a high air intake, and an integrated weapons bay, with design innovations reducing part count by 50% and weight by 1,000 pounds compared to previous proposals.

via TWZ|
#autonomous-systems#collaborative-combat-aircraft#defense
Cygnus XL nudges the ISS higher, priming a Russian cargo rendezvous
space24 days ago

Cygnus XL nudges the ISS higher, priming a Russian cargo rendezvous

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft fired its engines while docked to the ISS, lifting the station into a higher orbit to enable the upcoming Progress 96 resupply mission; the routine maneuver underscores international collaboration in space and links to the long-running legacy of Progress cargo flights dating back to 1978.

via Space|
#cygnus-xl#international-space-station#northrop-grumman
space2 months ago

HALO Drives NASA's Lunar Infrastructure Demos for Moon Base Trials

NASA and Northrop Grumman will repurpose the HALO module from Gateway into three Lunar Infrastructure Demos (LID-1 to LID-3) to mature lunar surface power, thermal management, autonomy, communications and hosted-payload services capable of surviving the Moon’s night near the South Pole, with Moon Base Phase One development running through 2029; the move follows Gateway delays and corrosion issues and aims to accelerate a sustainable Moon Base architecture.

via Spaceflight Now|
#halo#lunar-infrastructure-demos#moon-base
MRV Sets Stage for Autonomous On-Orbit Satellite Servicing
space2 months ago

MRV Sets Stage for Autonomous On-Orbit Satellite Servicing

Ars Technica reports that Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), carrying the DARPA-funded RSGS payload and three Mission Extension Pods, launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to geosynchronous orbit to perform on‑orbit servicing. Equipped with two seven‑degree‑of‑freedom robotic arms and autonomous control, MRV can inspect, upgrade, relocate, and potentially service satellites not designed for humans, with prospective customers including SES, Optus, and the Space Force. The mission builds on prior MEV demonstrations and signals a shift toward a space‑based depot and extended‑life servicing capability, potentially enabling a new era of orbital logistics over a planned 10–13 year service life.

via Ars Technica|
#darpa#geosynchronous#northrop-grumman
Robot-servicing era begins as SpaceX and Northrop launch MRV for multi-satellite GEO work
space2 months ago

Robot-servicing era begins as SpaceX and Northrop launch MRV for multi-satellite GEO work

SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) to geostationary orbit to service multiple aging satellites using detachable Mission Extension Pods; MRV will move from one satellite to another, using robotic arms and its own propulsion, and will extend GEO lifetimes by about six years for its first customers Intelsat and Optus, signaling a shift toward routine in-space servicing with origins in DARPA’s RoGS program and potential Space Force utility.

via Interesting Engineering|
#mission-extension-pods#mission-robotic-vehicle#northrop-grumman
SpaceX’s Hidden Growth Driver: Satellite Maintenance, Not Starship
business2 months ago

SpaceX’s Hidden Growth Driver: Satellite Maintenance, Not Starship

SpaceX’s latest growth opportunity centers on maintaining satellites in orbit, as the company launched hardware for Northrop Grumman’s MRV/MEP satellite-maintenance mission to extend satellite lifespans. The mission followed the Falcon 9 booster’s 32nd and final flight for that booster, and SpaceX stock slid about 6.7% as investors weigh valuation against Starship’s potential and SpaceX’sAI-driven strategies.

via Barron's|
#business#mrv#northrop-grumman
Northrop ramps up charges on Vulcan boosters as redesigned GEM-63XL delivery slips
business2 months ago

Northrop ramps up charges on Vulcan boosters as redesigned GEM-63XL delivery slips

Northrop Grumman booked a $91 million unfavorable adjustment for its GEM63XL solid rocket motors used on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur boosters, after a $71 million charge earlier this year, and said redesigned motors cleared in a static-fire test should be delivered by year-end (though launch timing remains uncertain). A February Vulcan flight had a significant anomaly, and the U.S. Space Force/DoD are weighing configurations that avoid solid boosters. Northrop expects space-division sales to rise in the second half on higher program volumes and new awards, while HALO’s future faces reassessment as NASA shifts away from Gateway toward a lunar base, with the module potentially repurposed and the contract restructured.

via SpaceNews|
#business#gateway#gem-63xl
SpaceX to launch Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP satellite from Cape Canaveral
space2 months ago

SpaceX to launch Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP satellite from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX will launch Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP spacecraft from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9, with about 90% favorable weather and a 5:15 p.m. ET liftoff; MRV-MEP is described as a versatile 'Swiss Army Knife' for satellites, capable of inspection, repairs, life extension, debris removal, and deploying pods, plus sensors or countermeasures to boost satellite resilience.

via Florida Today|
#cape-canaveral#mrv-mep#northrop-grumman
NASA pauses HALO lunar habitat work as Moon-base plans take precedence
space3 months ago

NASA pauses HALO lunar habitat work as Moon-base plans take precedence

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.

via Ars Technica|
#halo#lunar-gateway#moon-base
SpaceX Leads NASA Launch Cadence as Blue Origin Setback Reshapes Space Stock Bets
business4 months ago

SpaceX Leads NASA Launch Cadence as Blue Origin Setback Reshapes Space Stock Bets

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.

via 24/7 Wall St.|
#ast-spacemobile#business#intuitive-machines
Northrop Grumman and Apex Join Forces on Orbit-Based Interceptors for Golden Dome
technology4 months ago

Northrop Grumman and Apex Join Forces on Orbit-Based Interceptors for Golden Dome

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.

via SpaceNews|
#apex#golden-dome#northrop-grumman