Northrop Grumman OmegA

Omega, stylized OmegA, was a medium-lift to heavy-lift launch vehicle concept that spent several years in development by Northrop Grumman between 2016 and 2020, with the development substantially funded by the U.S. government. It was intended to launch U.S. national security satellites under the Department of the Air Force National Security Space Launch replacement program. The design used new composite solid rocket stages with a cryogenic upper stage from Aerojet Rocketdyne, replacing earlier plans for an upper stage engine from Blue Origin, and it resembled the defunct Ares I and Liberty projects. It was to launch from Kennedy Space Center LC-39B or Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-6. Orbital ATK began the effort and was bought by Northrop Grumman in 2018, and in October 2018 the Air Force announced $792 million for initial development. After the Air Force did not select Omega in the August 2020 launch service procurement, Northrop Grumman announced its cancellation on 9 September 2020.