Eclipse (rocket)

Eclipse is a two-stage, partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle being developed jointly by Firefly Aerospace and Northrop Grumman. It began as Firefly Beta and then the Medium Launch Vehicle, and it was named Eclipse in May 2025, when Northrop Grumman announced a 50 million US dollar investment in the programme. The rocket is intended as a successor to Northrop Grumman Antares and is designed to place about 16,300 kilograms into low Earth orbit. Both stages burn RP-1 and liquid oxygen and are built with a carbon-fibre composite airframe. The first stage uses seven Miranda engines and is designed to be reusable, while the expendable second stage uses a single Vira vacuum engine. The first launches are planned from Launch Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, and the maiden flight is expected in 2029.