Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC), a leading name in aerospace and defense, has poured $50 million into Firefly Aerospace Inc., a Texas-based startup focused on rocket innovation. The funding, highlighted in a Bloomberg report, will accelerate work on the Eclipse rocket, a joint venture between the two firms that began in 2022.
The Eclipse launch vehicle blends technology from Northrop’s Antares platform with Firefly’s Alpha rocket. Designed to rival offerings from SpaceX, the rocket aims to meet the U.S. Department of Defense’s growing demand for space transport services.
Firefly CEO Jason Kim underscored the importance of the Eclipse in addressing the increasing need for orbital access. “There’s a clear industry demand emerging for this type of capability,” Kim said, adding that significant uptake is expected from 2026 onward.
Beyond Eclipse, both companies are eyeing the potential of future defense initiatives—most notably the Golden Dome, a proposed missile defense system championed by former President Donald Trump. The project would rely on satellite-based interceptors to neutralize threats from space. Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager of launch and missile defense systems at Northrop Grumman, acknowledged the possibility of new market openings if the project moves forward.
While neither company disclosed Firefly’s current valuation as part of the investment, a previous $175 million funding round in November pegged the firm’s worth at over $2 billion.