Antares Rocket
About Antares 330 Rocket
Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 rocket is an upgrade from the company’s previous Antares 230+ rocket. The previous Antares 230+ rocket took its last flight in August of 2023. Antares 330 will keep the same second stage as the previous Antares 230+ rocket, a Northrop Grumman developed castor 30 XL solid rocket motor and will receive a new first stage being developed by Firefly Aerospace. This first stage will be powered by seven Miranda engines.
The Antares 330 launch system utilizes Northrop Grumman's proven MACH avionics system as well as mature mission management approaches, engineering standards, production and test processes common to Northrop Grumman's family of successful space launch vehicles including Pegasus and Minotaur.
Antares 330 launch vehicles will launch up to three times in support of commercial re-supply missions to the International Space Station. The new first stage for Antares 330 as well as other mature systems will carry forward to the Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace co-developed Eclipse medium lift vehicle.
Antares Rocket System Features
- Incorporates both solid and liquid stages and flight-proven technologies
- Provides up to 10,500 kg to a low-Earth orbit space station transfer orbit
- 3.9 meter fairing accommodates the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft
- Removable pop-top nose cone allows for late load access to spacecraft
- Streamlined vehicle/payload integration and testing reduces time from encapsulation to lift-off
- Initial launch capability from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Virginia
Antares News
