Northrop Grumman Says Test Data From New Rocket Motor Built In Less Than A Year Looks ‘Promising’

• The Dec. 4 test marked part of Northrop’s ongoing push to shorten development cycles for solid rocket motors.
• The effort comes alongside the Space Force’s recent Golden Dome prototype awards to multiple defense contractors.
• Northrop is expanding manufacturing capacity with major facility investments and higher production targets through 2028.

Northrop Grumman (NOC) said its newly tested solid rocket motor delivered “as expected and promising” initial results after a Dec. 4 firing at its Promontory, Utah facility. 

The comment was made by Robert Fleming, a vice president in the company’s space systems unit, in an interview with Bloomberg.

On Thursday, Northrop Grumman test-fired a new solid rocket motor built in under a year, marking a significant acceleration in production timelines as the U.S. steps up efforts to field next-generation missile-defense and space-launch capabilities. 

Pentagon Demand Drives Faster Development

Solid rocket motors power both launch vehicles and missile interceptors, and the U.S. industrial base is under pressure to restock stockpiles and expand capacity to drive down costs. Northrop and L3Harris’s Aerojet Rocketdyne have dominated the business of supplying most U.S.-made motors, but newer players like Anduril, Ursa Major Technologies, X-Bow Systems and Prometheus Energetics are entering the fray as the Pentagon accelerates production cycles, according to a Bloomberg report. 

Washington’s urgency reflects several priorities, including rebuilding munitions depleted by Ukraine support, preparing for future conflicts, and advancing the Trump administration’s Golden Dome program to deploy new space-based missile-defense layers.

Space Force Kicks Off Golden Dome Prototype Race

Last month, the U.S. Space Force reportedly awarded about half a dozen early Golden Dome contracts to firms such as Northrop, Anduril, Lockheed Martin and True Anomaly, according to a Reuters report, citing people familiar with the matter. The deals, which are not yet publicly disclosed because contract values fall below reporting thresholds, fund competing interceptor and fire-control prototypes.

A Pentagon presentation also reportedly showed some interceptor prototype awards at around $120,000, while Northrop and Anduril received $10 million awards. Companies that advance to on-orbit testing will move into prize pools worth hundreds of millions, with eventual production contracts estimated at $1.8 billion to $3.4 billion annually.

Northrop Scales Up Its Manufacturing Footprint

Northrop has poured millions into new construction in the last few years. It has spent more than $1 billion since 2018 and added roughly one million square feet of new or renovated production space. The company opened 12 new buildings that support solid rocket motor manufacturing in Utah in 2025, adding about half a million square feet of space.

The company aims to increase propellant output to almost 50 million pounds by 2027 and to more than 25,000 solid rocket motors per year by 2028, up from roughly 13,000 now.

Stocktwits Draws Bullish Mood

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for NOC was ‘bullish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.

NOC’s stock has risen 19% so far in 2025.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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