Our Space History

TRW Leads from the Start

In the early days of the space race, Northrop Grumman heritage company TRW built on its broad expertise in early ICBM efforts to build satellites for NASA and the Department of Defense. By 1964, TRW had readied a total of 218 of the 248 satellites the US placed in orbit.

Grumman Takes America to the Moon

As NASA geared up for the Apollo program, many Northrop Grumman heritage companies would play a vital role in the Moon missions. But arguably none were more vital than Grumman, which designed and built the Lunar Module, the vehicle that landed men on the moon.

The Space Race Heats Up Again

Rising tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union defined the early 1980s. The Reagan Administration and the DoD announced a major upgrade of U.S. strategic forces, opting to deploy the Peacekeeper (MX) ICBM, as well as a new generation of military satellites. At NASA, the workforce and facilities were geared toward routinely launching the Space Shuttle and deploying large satellites from its payload bay. Northrop Grumman’s heritage companies played a vital role in the nation’s civil and military space programs during this time.