News Summary

• The goal is to field a launch vehicle that can compete for military and commercial launch contracts with medium to large rockets being developed by Relativity Space and Rocket Lab.
• That upper stage is built in-house by Northrop Grumman.The new Antares 330 rocket will be able to loft heavier payloads into orbit, nearly 30 percent more than the soon-to-be-retired Antares 230 rocket.
• SpaceX's Dragon cargo flights do not use a payload fairing.After flying the next three Cygnus resupply flights on SpaceX rockets, Northrop Grumman hopes the upgraded Antares 330 rocket will be ready for service.
• Ultimately, Northrop and Firefly want to evolve the Antares rocket into a still-unnamed medium-lift launch vehicle with a more powerful upper stage.
• Eberly said a Miranda test firing is scheduled to happen this fall.Working in Northrop Grumman's favor is the fact that the Antares 330 design will incorporate the same solid-fueled upper-stage motor as the current Antares rocket configuration.
• The factory itself has been the target of Russian missile strikes.Russia and Ukraine have partnered on rocket programs since the dawn of the Space Age when they were parts of the Soviet Union.