Northrop Grumman
Redondo Beach · Space systems · ≈ 18,000 employees
Northrop Grumman Space Systems builds satellites at Space Park in Redondo Beach, including about 150 Space Development Agency satellites across Tranches 1 to 3.
People
Programs
‹›
ProgramTimelineNext milestone
SDA Transport & Tracking satellites Tranche 2 Transport Beta award (36 sats)Aug 2023 Tranche 2 Transport Alpha award (38 sats)Oct 2023 Selected for Tranche 3 Tracking LayerDec 2025 First 21 Tranche 1 satellites launchOct 10, 2026 Second plane of 21 launchesBy Apr 2027 Second plane of 21 launches · By Apr 2027
Next-Gen OPIR Polar Sole-source contract to build two satellitesMay 2018 Contract expanded to build and launchOct 2024 Launch2028 Launch · 2028
Cygnus XL NG-23, first Cygnus XL, launchesSep 14, 2025 NG-24 Cygnus XL launchesApr 11, 2026 NG-24 Cygnus XL launches · Apr 11, 2026
In the News
Northrop's first 21 SDA data-relay satellites reach orbitOct 11, 2026Cygnus XL leaves the station after six monthsOct 9, 2026Northrop's first 21 Tranche 1 data-relay satellites are set to fly MondayOct 2, 2026True Anomaly and Northrop win prototypes to watch geosynchronous orbitSep 18, 2026Northrop is building the Space Force's ground-tracking radar satellitesSep 16, 2026Space Force funds five companies to link their satellites to its data networkAug 17, 2026Golden Dome says it has its first operational site and has run two testsAug 11, 2026