Northrop Grumman has asked for help from Firefly Aerospace to replace the Russian engines in the Antares rocket.
What
Known
Northrop Grumman wants to modernize the firstlaunch vehicle stage and install American engines instead of Russian counterparts. Antares is used to send the Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS. During the upgrade break, SpaceX will fly cargo to the International Space Station using a Falcon 9.
It is expected that Antares 330 with Americanengines will debut in two years. Northrop Grumman plans to make two launches of the current version of the rocket, the Antares 230, before ending the supply of RD-181 engines. The last flight is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.
Startup Firefly Aerospace will helponly in the Antares upgrade. The young company will reportedly work with Northrop Grumman to create a medium-sized launch vehicle that will be used in civil and commercial spaceflight.
Details and stages of the contract are not disclosed. It is assumed that the new version of the Antares missile will be equipped with American Miranda engines instead of the Russian RD-181 produced by Energomash.
Source: Teslarati
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