Northrop Grumman Archives

Northrop Grumman honors Black History Month with first Cygnus mission of 2021

Seth Kurkowski - Feb 1st 2021 2:19 pm PT @SethKurk

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Cygnus continues a tradition in naming their spacecraft after people that have made great contributions to the spaceflight industry either as engineers or astronauts. With the upcoming launch slated to take place February 20th, Northrop Grumman named its next mission after the great mathematician Katherine Johnson.

NASA releases S.S. Kalpana Chawla Cygnus vehicle from ISS before upcoming fire test

Seth Kurkowski - Jan 6th 2021 8:29 am PT @SethKurk

NASA International Space Station Northrop Grumman

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Back in early October, Northrup Grumman launched a Cygnus spacecraft named after NASA Astronaut Kalpana Chawla on top of an Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. It carried over 8,000 pounds of supplies to the station and was released today by ground teams.

NASA awards contract to Northrup Grumman for modified arial drone

Seth Kurkowski - Dec 16th 2020 2:03 pm PT

Over the next five years, Northrop Grumman will get $70 million dollars to support NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in the Skyrange Program.

Northrop Grumman awarded more flights in CRS-2 contract

Seth Kurkowski - Nov 13th 2020 11:01 am PT @SethKurk

NASA Northrop Grumman Cygnus Antares

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Since 2012 SpaceX and Northrop Grumman (then Orbital ATK) have been providing supplies to the International Space Station. The first CRS contract brought us rockets like the Antares and Falcon 9 and without this funding, neither would exist. Today NASA continues that venture to build up the private space sector with the CRS-2 contract.

Northrop Grumman sending four tons of research and supplies to ISS with NG-14 night launch

Zac Hall - Oct 1st 2020 11:57 am PT @apollozac

Northrop Grumman Cygnus Antares

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October 1, 2020: Scrubbed two minutes before liftoff due to off nominal data. Next attempt as soon as 24 hours later.

Following Delta IV Heavy and Falcon 9 launch scrubs, a third rocket is scheduled for liftoff from the East Coast of the United States this week. Northrop Grumman will launch its Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft from Wallops Island in Virginia between 9:38 and 9:43 p.m. ET tonight.

Space Force selects ULA and SpaceX for phase 2 launch service contracts

Jacob Knight - Aug 11th 2020 9:19 am PT

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Blue Origin ULA

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In a widely anticipated announcement, U.S. Space Force and Air Force officials awarded Phase II of U.S. national security missions launch contracts to ULA and SpaceX as the primary launch providers through 2027. The NSSL (National Security Space Launch) Contract is a firm-fixed-price that will support launches planned from fiscal 2022 – fiscal 2027.

These contracts include early integration studies, launch service support, fleet surveillance, launch vehicle production, mission integration, mission launch operations, mission assurance, spaceflight worthiness, and mission unique activities for each mission.

Watch: First Minotaur IV rocket launch from Virginia Space Coast for Space Force

Zac Hall - Jul 15th 2020 9:44 am PT @apollozac

Launch Space Force Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV National Reconnaissance Office

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Northrop Grumman’s 78-foot-tall Minotaur IV expendable launch system is lifting off from NASA’s Wallops Island flight facility in Virginia. The launch is the first Minotaur IV launch from Virginia’s Space Coast and the first National Reconnaissance Office launch using the Minotaur IV system.

Today’s Minotaur IV launch is also the first use of the expendable launch system since August 2017. The system has been used for a total of seven launches since April 2010, and one to two additional launches are already planned. NASA says the next launch from Wallops Flight Facility will be sometime in mid-August.

Minotaur rockets are created using decommissioned MX Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles created in the late 80s and early 90s.

NASA paves way for nine Artemis missions using Space Launch System starting in 2021

Zac Hall - Jun 30th 2020 1:12 pm PT @apollozac

Artemis SLS Northrop Grumman

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NASA is preparing to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis program. The program currently includes three Artemis missions including two uncrewed lunar flight tests and one mission to send astronauts to the Moon. Today NASA shared an Artemis program update supporting up to six additional missions under the program.

NASA finalizes contract to design habitation and logistics outpost for lunar orbiting Gateway

Filipe Espósito - Jun 11th 2020 12:10 am PT @filipeesposito

Artemis Mars Moon Northrop Grumman Gateway

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NASA signed a contract this month with the company that will design its Gateway housing module. The lunar orbiting outpost is intended to be used in NASA’s Artemis program. The Orbital Science Corporation, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Space, was awarded a $187 million contract to work on the project.

The Gateway is an advanced lunar outpost that will be essential to the Artemis program in the future. The program aims to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024. NASA’s agreement with Orbital Science Corporation foresees that the Gateway’s preliminary design will be presented and revised by the end of this year.

Meet MEV: The first life extension satellite that just made history

Zac Hall - Feb 26th 2020 1:11 pm PT @apollozac

Northrop Grumman Mission Extension Vehicle SpaceLogistics

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MEV is the Mission Extension Vehicle used by SpaceLogistics, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, to service satellites in space.

The life extension satellite made history yesterday when it successfully docked to another commercial satellite: