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Northrop Grumman Faces $71M Charge After Vulcan Anomaly

4/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Northrop Grumman disclosed a $71 million charge tied to a Vulcan Centaur booster anomaly.
The February 12 launch shed debris from a GEM 63XL booster.
The USSF-87 mission was successful.
Space Force plans a flight configuration without GEM 63XL boosters for future low-energy missions after United Launch Alliance (ULA) identified a nozzle insulator defect and prompted design changes ahead of the August 2025 launch.

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Story summary

Northrop Grumman disclosed a $71 million charge tied to a Vulcan Centaur booster anomaly.
The February 12 launch shed debris from a GEM 63XL booster.
The USSF-87 mission was successful.
Space Force plans a flight configuration without GEM 63XL boosters for future low-energy missions after United Launch Alliance (ULA) identified a nozzle insulator defect and prompted design changes ahead of the August 2025 launch.