. 24/7 Space News .
ROCKET SCIENCE
Northrop Grumman's rocket development reaches new heights
by Staff Writers
Falls Church VA (SPX) Sep 13, 2022

.

When you think of a rocket launch, you probably imagine a glistening white cylinder emerging from a cloud of smoke and fire making its way into outer space. But while the sight of a launch may only last a few minutes, not many see the dedication, long hours and incredible team effort that made it all possible.

"It's not the hardware or the software-it's the people on the launch vehicle team and their expertise that are the keys to our continued success," said Mark Ogren, director of strategy and technology, launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman.

Launch vehicles, commonly referred to as rockets, come in all shapes and sizes. Each rocket is designed, developed, and cared for by hundreds of people all with the common goal of providing an affordable and fast solution, culminating in a successful mission. Building a rocket takes incredible technical skill as well as patience, precision and testing.

And then it's time for liftoff.

When asked if he's nervous before a launch, Ogren stated he sleeps well the night before liftoff.

"Because we have the rightexperience, completed all the rigorous testing, and have the right team in place, we have confidence in the product and know we will have a successful launch," said Ogren.

3... 2... 1... Liftoff!

Northrop Grumman has 60 years of experience in the launch vehicles business and the breadth of the company's rocket development expertise-from interceptors to space launch vehicles-is unmatched by others in the private sector.

Northrop Grumman's origins in the launch business goes back to 1963. At the time, the company was focused on developing and launching small unguided rockets-designed to provide cutting edge services for a variety of customers. Some of Northrop Grumman's first successful launch ventures included building special purpose rockets for the Department of Defense (DoD) and producing scientific research rockets for civil space customers, among other experimental efforts.

The next decade brought new opportunities for the company to expand its launch portfolio and set itself apart in the industry. In the 1970s, the company started developing payloads and conducting missile defense research for the DoD.

"At the time, we were conducting some of the first Attitude Control System tests as well as testing early capabilities that eventually became core components of missile defense systems used around the world today," said Ogren.

The following decade, the company continued to work on unguided rockets and moved into producing some of the first guided launch vehicles with its Starbird vehicle. In addition, the company was starting to support countermeasures and building unguided targets for the DoD.

Through the 1990s and 2000s, Northrop Grumman's launch business continued to soar-accomplishing key industry milestones including delivering the first privately developed air launch vehicle; producing launch vehicles using government furnished excess asset motors from the Minuteman and Peacekeeper programs; and providing a majority of the guided targets used by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), among other efforts.

With over six decades of experience in the launch vehicles business, Northrop Grumman has accumulated a long list of accolades, but there are a few ingredients that are core to the company's success.

The Secret Ingredients of Success
Ogren was there for a number of launch vehicle accomplishments, challenges and industry firsts. But he will be the first to tell you that while one never wants to encounter a mistake, there is so much to be learned from it.

"Challenges help you develop lessons learned so that they are not repeated," said Ogren. "They can be seen as an opportunity. It's a chance to reevaluate and come back stronger and those unique experiences are key ingredients to what sets us apart in the industry."

This extensive experience is one of the core reasons customers continue to trust Northrop Grumman to accomplish some of the most challenging launch missions in the world.

"Our team has some of the most talented people in the industry and each person brings what they have learned from past launch programs and applies it to new projects," said Ogren. "We empower our team to think outside the box, come to the table with new ideas, challenge the status quo, and push the boundaries of what's possible."

Ogren points to the company's culture of empowering its people as another ingredient to Northrop Grumman's continued success in the launch business.

The unique experiences of each person on the Launch Vehicles team, no matter the role, also contributes to Northrop Grumman's ability to successfully move into new markets.

"To grow into new markets, we can't rely on the same products. We have to find new ways to innovate and add value for the customer," said Ogren. "That's what we have always done-from interceptors to targets-we are consistently innovating."

As one example, this unique combination of talent, experience and innovation can be seen in Northrop Grumman's efforts on the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program.

In March 2021, Northrop Grumman was awarded a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract that calls for the rapid development and flight test of an interceptor designed to defend the nation against complex long-range missile threats. Leveraging its deep industry talent and extensive flight-proven launch and missile defense experience, Northrop Grumman strategically teamed with Raytheon Technologies, a leader in Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle technologies.

Together, the companies will deliver an NGI capability that helps ensure the DoD maintains the technological advantage needed to deter adversaries and protect the U.S. homeland from long-range missile threats for decades to come.

As the NGI program moves forward, the Northrop Grumman and Raytheon team will focus on bringing a unique and extensive blend of talent, experience and innovation to deliver a highly capable, affordable and low-risk NGI solution that meets the customer's schedule and mission requirements.

Reaching New Heights
Today, Northrop Grumman's Launch Vehicles Business has accumulated over 65 rocket configurations that have successfully flown for customers. The business produces an average of two new launch vehicle configurations each year.

Having completed successful launches in over 30 locations around the world, the team is looking to set a new record with the number of launches it has planned for this year.

As the business continues to grow, the core ingredients will remain the same and Northrop Grumman's launch vehicles business will continue to provide successful access to space for our customers.

These are the views of Northrop Grumman and do not imply endorsement by the Missile Defense Agency.


Related Links
Northrop Grumman
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


ROCKET SCIENCE
Blue Origin rocket suffers booster failure, prompting emergency abort system
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 12, 2021
Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket suffered a booster failure after lifting off Monday morning, causing an emergency abort system to separate the capsule from the booster. The unmanned mission was carrying 36 payloads from academia, research institutions, and students across the globe and was expected to reach the edge of space and return in a series of suborbital flights. It was the 23rd mission for the rocket, which has carried more than 150 commercial payloads including 18 on Monday's f ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ROCKET SCIENCE
LeoLabs awarded contract from US Dept of Commerce to support space traffic management prototype

Space seeds thrive at the United Nations Campus

Redwire and Sodern team up to market the Exquisite-Class Eagle Eye Star Tracker

US should end ISS collaboration with Russia

ROCKET SCIENCE
Northrop Grumman's rocket development reaches new heights

Rocket Lab Prepares to Launch Synspective Satellite on 30th Electron Launch

SpaceX launches 34 more Starlink satellites, AST SpaceMobile satellite

Uncrewed Blue Origin rocket crashes in setback for space tourism

ROCKET SCIENCE
Searching for Frost at Jezero Crater

Sols 3592-3593: Onwards

Glaciers flowed on ancient Mars, but slowly

Martian rock-metal composite shows potential of 3D printing on Mars

ROCKET SCIENCE
Rocket to carry Mengtian space lab module arrives at launch site

Duo undertake 7-hour spacewalk

Chinese scientist advocates int'l cooperation in space science

China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts carry out spacewalk

ROCKET SCIENCE
Iridium announces 9th SpaceX launch

Could Ukraine become a strong ally ESA has been looking for

SpaceX says likely won't need 42,000 satellites for Starlink internet

Thales Alenia Space Partners With Kythera Space Solutions for Advanced Space Inspire Mission Segment Software

ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA funds projects to study orbital debris, space sustainability

Ramon and Kythera partner to deliver autonomous communications payload solutions

How the tide turned on data centres in Europe

First Eurostar Neo satellite ready to ship

ROCKET SCIENCE
Twisted magnetic fields can reveal how protobinary systems, Tatooine planets form

A thousand days of CHEOPS

Surprise finding suggests 'water worlds' are more common than we thought

Two new rocky worlds around an ultra-cool star

ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA's Juno Mission Reveals Jupiter's Complex Colors

The PI's Perspective: Extending Exploration and Making Distant Discoveries

Uranus to begin reversing path across the night sky on Wednesday

Underwater snow gives clues about Europa's icy shell









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.