Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 0 | 3 |
| 2027 | 0 | 3 |
| 2028 | 0 | 3 |
| 2029 | 0 | 3 |
| 2030 | 0 | 3 |
| 2031 | 0 | 3 |
| 2032 | 0 | 3 |
| 2033 | 0 | 3 |
| 2034 | 0 | 3 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antares 330 | LEO | 10,500 kg | Unknown | 51.6 deg | Northrop Grumman Antares Rocket |
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| S.S. Laurel Clark Mission | Antares 230+ | Aug 2, 2023 |
| S.S. Sally Ride Mission | Antares 230+ | Nov 7, 2022 |
| S.S. Piers Sellers Mission | Antares 230+ | Feb 19, 2022 |
| S.S. Ellison Onizuka Mission |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Antares 110 | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Antares 120 | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Antares 130 | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Antares 230 | Not stated | 5 | Retired |
| 2035 | 0 | 3 |
| 2036 | 0 | 3 |
| 2037 | 0 | 3 |
| 2038 | 0 | 3 |
| 2039 | 0 | 3 |
| 2040 | 0 | 3 |
| 2041 | 0 | 3 |
1 launch location represented.
| Year | Location | Launches | Confidence | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2027 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2028 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2029 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2030 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2031 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2032 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2033 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2034 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2035 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2036 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2037 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2038 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2039 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2040 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. |
| 2041 | Wallops Flight Facility / MARS | Pad 0A | 3 | 35% | Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence. Site-year coverage backfill copied... |
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Antares 230+ |
| Aug 10, 2021 |
| S.S. Katherine Johnson | Antares 230+ | Feb 20, 2021 |
| S.S. Kalpana Chawla Mission | Antares 230+ | Oct 3, 2020 |
| S.S. Robert Lawrence Mission | Antares 230+ | Feb 15, 2020 |
| S.S. Alan Bean | Antares 230+ | Nov 2, 2019 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Antares 230+ | Not stated | 8 | Retired |
Antares 330 | Not stated | 0 | Development |
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
Northrop Grumman describes Antares 330 for Cygnus cargo service; model as up to three annual launches for CRS-class cadence.
The Antares 330 will replace the Ukrainian-built first stage previously used on Antares that used Russian engines.
Once qualified, seven Miranda engines, each capable of producing 230,000 lbf, will provide a total of 1.6 million lbf to power the first stage of Antares 330 and the Medium Launch Vehicle.
Once qualified, seven Miranda engines, each capable of producing 230,000 lbf, will power the first stage of Antares 330 and the Medium Launch Vehicle for a combined total thrust of 1.6 million lbf.
On 2023-11-28, Firefly Aerospace completed the first hot fire test for its Miranda engine that will power the first stage of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and the Medium Launch Vehicle the companies are co-developing.
Firefly is designing, manufacturing, and testing the first stage structures for Antares 330.
Firefly is designing, manufacturing, and testing the first stage structures for Antares 330 as well as the structures and fluids systems for both stages of the Medium Launch Vehicle.
Firefly Aerospace completed the first hot fire test for its Miranda engine that will power the first stage of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and the Medium Launch Vehicle co-developed by Firefly and Northrop Grumman.
Antares 330 will be able to launch more than 10,000 kg to the International Space Station and its first flight is scheduled for mid-2025.
Firefly and Northrop Grumman are upgrading the first stage of Antares in parallel with developing the Medium Launch Vehicle.
Antares 330 will be able to launch more than 10,000 kg to the International Space Station.
The Medium Launch Vehicle, as the evolutionary successor to Antares, will first launch in late 2025 and can carry more than 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit with a 5-meter class payload fairing that can be customized based on customer needs.
Northrop Grumman plans to retire the Antares 230+ rocket and replace it with a new Antares 330 rocket in mid-2025.
NG-19 is the 20th Cygnus launched to date, including one Cygnus lost in an Antares launch failure in October 2014.
The Antares 230+ first stage is built by Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye State Design Office and Yuzhmash Machine Building plant and uses RD-181 engines from Russian company NPO Energomash.
The Cygnus spacecraft launched on an Antares 230+ rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A on Wallops Island.
An Antares 230+ rocket launched a Cygnus cargo spacecraft on 2023-08-01 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia at 8:31 p.m. Eastern.
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket launched the S.S. Laurel Clark Cygnus spacecraft on 2023-08-01 from Wallops Island, Virginia for cargo delivery to the International Space Station.
Northrop Grumman partnered with Firefly Aerospace in August 2022 to develop the Antares 330 rocket using a domestically manufactured first stage and engines.
Northrop Grumman plans to return Cygnus launches to Wallops for NG-23 and subsequent missions on Antares 330.
Antares 230+ uses a first stage manufactured by Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye State Design Office and Yuzhmash Machine Building plant and RD-181 engines from Russian company NPO Energomash.