Partnering for Success: New and Traditional Space Collaborate on Future Launch Vehicle

A partnership between Northrop Grumman (NG) and Firefly Aerospace that formed in 2022 to develop a new medium-class launch vehicle (MLV) is now bearing fruit, as engine testing advances and test, manufacturing, integration, and launch facilities are built new or improved. This technical paper describes how this partnership between a traditional aerospace and defense prime and an agile new space company benefits the nation by enabling greater access to space as activity increased in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond.