Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace have named the future medium-rift rockets they plan to build: Eclipse.
The two companies have already partnered to support a new version of Northrop Grumman’s Antares Rocket. This has not been flying since 2023, when the rocket first stage used the last supply of Russian-made engines.
The new version of the rocket, called the Antares 330, also uses seven Texas-based Firefly’s Miranda Engines in the first phase, which has been redesigned. Firefly’s work on the Antares 330 flows into the design of the larger Eclipse rocket.
Northrop Grumman, headquartered in West Falls Church, Virginia, has announced that it will invest another $50 million in the development of Firefly’s Eclipse, with facilities all over the country, including Florida.
The new rocket, which will not debut until at least 2026, aims to support space station resupply missions, commercial security missions and scientific payloads for domestic and international markets, according to a joint press release from both companies.
The Eclipse is larger than the Antares 330 and can only fly approximately 17,500 pounds of payload into low-Earth orbit.
However, Eclipse is aiming to increase the capacity to around 36,000 pounds, which is still less than the roughly 50,000 pounds of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and ULA’s new Vulcan.
Firefly CEO Jason Kim said Eclipse is in the “sweet spot” of programs such as the National Security Space launch agreement designed for more risky newcomers. He also said it is perfect for supporting commercial satellite constellations.
Firefly has its own small-capacity rocket, Alpha, but it has seen limited success in its launch. However, so far, other space-based programs have been highly accomplished. This includes the first commercial month landing that does not fall when Blue Ghost competes for missions under NASA’s Commercial Month Payload Services agreement.
The Eclipse design is based on the combination of Antares and Alpha, with an 18-foot diameter fairing similar to the Falcon 9 and Vulcan.
Northrop Grumman continues to fly Cygnus Resupply Spacecraft to the International Space Station, but has had to hand over the launch service to SpaceX until the new Antares was ready.
“It gives customers the right balance between payload capabilities and affordability,” said Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman. “The partnership with Firefly is based on its ability to provide critical interval-based communication, observation and exploration to its civil and national security clients.”
Both the Antares 330 and the new Eclipse Rocket will be available from NASA’s Wallops Flight facility on the East Coast of Virginia, while Firefly will also have a launch lease at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Eclipse was built in Briggs, Texas and Chandler, Arizona, with qualification testing already underway.
The new Antares Rocket’s debut will still be the same this year, and will likely not fly until this fall due to the next Cygnus supply mission, the NG-23.
