Rocket Report: Northrop Grumman Supports Firefly; Xodiac’s Final Flight
Welcome to Edition 7.46 of the Rocket Report. As of May 29, spring draws to a close and the summer launch window approaches. Here’s the latest on small, medium, and heavy-lift rockets, plus in-depth analysis of emerging industry trends.
Xodiac Rocket’s Final Senior Hopper Flight
Originally developed by Masten Space Systems and now operated by Astrobotic, the Xodiac vehicle completed 175 successful suborbital missions before its recent terminal flight from Mojave, California. During ascent, onboard avionics flagged an off-nominal accelerometer reading beyond its preprogrammed flight envelope, triggering an autonomous flight termination system (FTS). The vehicle executed a rapid descent and impacted the pad, ending the program.
“While the vehicle remained within its planned flight envelope, it detected an anomalous condition and commanded a flight termination,” said an Astrobotic spokesperson.
No injuries or significant infrastructure damage occurred. The hopper’s legacy includes hazard-detection radar tests supporting lunar lander development. Astrobotic’s next step is Xogdor, a larger variant featuring updated avionics from Honeywell and a pressurized propellant feed to validate payload integration and descent algorithms at scales up to 1.85 m in diameter.
Technical Specifications
- Height: 6 m; Diameter: 1 m
- Propulsion: Blue-tongue 25 kN thrust engine
- Flight envelope: altitude ceiling 1.5 km, Mach 0.4
- Guidance: Honeywell IMU, Thales autopilot
Space Epoch’s Grasshopper-Style Reusability Test
Beijing-based Space Epoch (SEPOCH) successfully conducted a vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) recovery test of its Yuanxingzhe-1, launched from a sea platform off Shandong Province. The 11 m tall prototype reached 2.5 km altitude in a 125-second flight, briefly shut down its single LOX/RP-1 engine at apogee, then reignited for a controlled splashdown in the Yellow Sea.
“This test marks a significant step toward a fully reusable second-stage demonstration later this year,” said SEPOCH chief engineer Li Wei.
China’s domestic flavor of Grasshopper rivalry includes LandSpace’s Zhuque-2 VTVL test last year, which achieved a 10 km hover. Both firms aim for low-cost, rapid-turnaround reusability, challenging the SpaceX Falcon 9’s market share.
Northrop Grumman Invests $50 M in Firefly’s Eclipse Rocket
Northrop Grumman announced a $50 million equity investment in Firefly Aerospace’s medium-lift launch vehicle, now named Eclipse. Designed to carry up to 16.3 t to LEO or 3.2 t to GTO, Eclipse leverages Firefly’s seven Miranda engines on its first stage—each producing 70 kN of thrust using LOX/RP-1—and composite structure technologies honed on the Antares 330 program.
“Eclipse gives customers the right balance of payload capacity and affordability,” said Wendy Williams, VP at Northrop Grumman.
Initial missions include Northrop’s Cygnus resupply flights to the ISS, planned for a 2026 debut. The partnership also accelerates production lines at Firefly’s Texas facility, integrating advanced additive-manufactured engine components and vehicle dyno testing for 1 000-second hot-fire runs.
Additional Highlights
- Starfighters International’s F-4 Air Launch Concept: Proposes deploying a small rocket from a Mach 2.2-capable Phantom, targeting suborbital and orbital micro-satellites. Technical challenges include thermal protection for release at 15 km and trajectory integration with inertial navigation.
- Rocket Lab Acquires Geost: Expands into DoD markets by purchasing EO/IR sensor specialist Geost for up to $325 million, aiming to integrate missile-warning payloads on Photon buses.
- Pentagon GPS III SV-08 Launch on Falcon 9: Accelerated three-month planning cycle underscores the agility of SpaceX over Vulcan’s schedule slip.
Deep Dive: Reusable Engine Architectures
Experts highlight that engine reusability hinges on turbopump durability and thermal shielding. Firefly’s Miranda engine uses advanced channel-wall regenerative cooling, enabling 10 flights before refurbishment. In contrast, SEPOCH’s prototype employs ablative liners, limiting turnarounds to five cycles. The industry trend is toward quick-change modular thrust chambers and hot-gas pressurization to reduce system mass.
Industry Trends and Competitive Landscape
The commercial launch market remains fiercely competitive. New entrants in China are closing the technology gap with Western peers, while established players pursue vertical integration—evidenced by Northrop’s stake in Firefly and Rocket Lab’s sensor payload acquisitions. Forecasts from Eurospace Consulting project global launch demand to double by 2030, with medium-lift vehicles capturing 40% of manifest share due to rising small-sat constellations.
Next Three Launches
- May 30: Falcon 9 | GPS III SV-08 | Cape Canaveral (17:23 UTC)
- May 31: New Shepard NS-32 | West Texas (13:30 UTC)
- May 31: Falcon 9 Starlink 11-18 | Vandenberg (20:01 UTC)