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One of the biggest players in defense tech is making a new bet on a private rocket company. But, why?

What’s happening:

  • Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) has made a new $50M USD strategic investment into Texas based rocket company Firefly Aerospace

Why it matters:‍

  • Firefly Aerospace is one of the most advanced rocket companies in America focused on developing small and medium lift launch vehicles, lunar landers and orbital vehicles

Going deeper:‍

  • Firefly Aerospace has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital funding and landed notable defense tech investors including AE Industrial Partners, RPM Ventures, GiantLeap Capital and Human Element
  • Firefly Aerospace currently has existing deals with NASA, the United States Space Force, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) to deploy their launch vehicles and lunar landers

The intrigue:‍

  • Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace are also directly collaborating on the development of a medium lift rocket known as Eclipse which is capable of launching 16 metric tonnes into orbit and will enable the delivery of important payloads for national security for the American government

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