Northrop Grumman wins $84.5M NASA contract

Falls Church company to provide products, support for Mars mission

Published March 5, 2021 by Sydney Lake

NASA announced Thursday it has awarded an $84.5 million contract to Falls Church-based Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. to provide propulsion support and products for spaceflight missions.

Under the Mars Ascent Propulsion System (MAPS) contract, Northrop Grumman will provide support and products at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The contract brings NASA and the European Space Agency one step closer to completing the Mars Sample Return (MSR), which includes a Sample Retrieval Lander mission and an Earth Return Orbiter mission.

“Bringing Mars samples back to Earth will allow scientists across the world to examine the specimens using sophisticated instruments too large and too complex to send to Mars, and will allow future generations to study them using technology not yet available,” according to NASA.

Northrop Grumman employs more than 90,000 people and reported $33.8 billion in 2019 revenue.