spacetoday.net: Northrop Grumman takes additional charge on Vulcan booster problems

Posted: Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 7:17 AM ET (1117 GMT)
Northrop Grumman is taking another charge related to redesign of the solid rocket motor it produces for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur. The company said Tuesday as part of its second quarter financial results that it took a $91 million unfavorable adjustment to its earnings at completion on its GEM 63XL motor program, after reporting a $71 million unfavorable adjustment in the first quarter. The motor suffered what ULA called a "significant performance anomaly" on a February launch, leading to changes in the design of the booster. Northrop said it expects to begin delivering the redesigned motors by the end of the year. Vulcan has not launched since that February mission, although the Space Force said this spring it was considering revamping its launch manifest to bring forward missions that could use Vulcan without any solid rocket boosters.