The Frontier Leaders · Space 100 · Northrop Grumman Space

Northrop Grumman Space

Dulles, Virginia, United States · Space · Applications / Defense & intelligence · Subsidiary · northropgrumman.com

Northrop Grumman designs, builds and operates spacecraft for reconnaissance, missile tracking, communications and cargo, including SDA satellites and Cygnus.

Space 100 · rank 9 · score 85 →Edition: November 2026

Positioning

Northrop Grumman's space unit spans Cygnus ISS cargo, solid rocket motors (GEM/OmegA heritage), missile-warning primes, and an SDA Tranche 3 win, and it holds the servicing category's only commercial operating record via the flown MEV-1 and MEV-2 GEO life-extension servicers. It is the quiet incumbent while startups (Astroscale, Starfish) hold the servicing contracts pipeline, though a Northrop launch anomaly stranded AST's BB7. Segment financials are group-scoped and not broken out (a filings pass owed).

Latest signals

  • The U.S. Navy is fitting USS Ohio with Northrop Grumman’s DRAKE counter-drone system.Interesting Engineering
  • Cygnus NG-24 completed its cargo mission and reentered Earth’s atmosphere.Novosti Kosmonavtiki
  • SpaceX launched 21 Northrop Grumman communications satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.Novosti Kosmonavtiki
  • SpaceX launched 21 Northrop Grumman military communications satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.Novosti Kosmonavtiki
  • Northrop Grumman selected ThinKom’s antenna for the U.S. Navy’s E-130J Phoenix II TACAMO aircraft.Via Satellite

112 signals name Northrop Grumman Space. Members see all of them, filtered by topic, source and date.

Facts, with sources

  • 24-month contract for a reconnaissance satellite prototype awarded by the U.S. Space ForceContract · interestingengineering.com — 2026-09-19
  • Space Force contract naming Northrop Grumman as prime contractor for the GMTI programContract · breakingdefense.com — 2026-09-16
  • Departed the SNC-led Navy trainer team for the Undergraduate Jet Amazon System programSetback · breakingdefense.com — 2026-09-14
  • Satellites preparing to launch into the Pentagon's first operational military data network in low Earth orbitDeployment · SpaceNews

51 facts on file. Members see all of them with the source link.

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment8
Production8
Commercials10
Progress9
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower10
Leverage8

Traction: deployment, production, commercials, progress. Capability: technology, positioning, firepower, leverage.

Peers in Defense & intelligence

3L3Harris · 915Lockheed Martin Space · 8816True Anomaly · 8231Rheinmetall · 78.552Slingshot Aerospace · 7359LeoLabs · 71

The segment's suppliers, constraints and risers, for members.

Categories

SpaceSpace · Satellites & spacecraft / Platforms

Questions this page answers

What does Northrop Grumman Space do?

Northrop Grumman designs, builds and operates spacecraft for reconnaissance, missile tracking, communications and cargo, including SDA satellites and Cygnus. Northrop Grumman's space unit spans Cygnus ISS cargo, solid rocket motors (GEM/OmegA heritage), missile-warning primes, and an SDA Tranche 3 win, and it holds the servicing category's only commercial operating record via the flown MEV-1 and MEV-2 GEO life-extension servicers. It is the quiet incumbent while startups (Astroscale, Starfish) hold the servicing contracts pipeline, though a Northrop la

Where does Northrop Grumman Space rank in space?

Northrop Grumman Space ranks 9 of 100 on the Space 100 (November 2026 edition) with a score of 85 out of 100, in Defense & intelligence (Applications). Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence.

Who are Northrop Grumman Space's peers in Defense & intelligence?

L3Harris (rank 3), Lockheed Martin Space (rank 5), True Anomaly (rank 16), Rheinmetall (rank 31), Slingshot Aerospace (rank 52), LeoLabs (rank 59).

Where is Northrop Grumman Space based and when was it founded?

Northrop Grumman Space is based in Dulles, Virginia, United States. Stage: Subsidiary.

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