Northrop Grumman has announced yet another financial setback related to the solid rocket boosters it supplies for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket, this time to the tune of $91 million. The company disclosed the charge in its second-quarter earnings report on July 21, following a $71 million charge in the first quarter for the same GEM 63XL motor program. The motors are used in the boosters on ULA's Vulcan Centaur, which experienced a "significant performance anomaly" during its most recent launch in February. Despite the anomaly, the rocket still managed to deliver its payload to orbit.

Neither Northrop nor ULA has revealed specifics about the root cause, but Kathy Warden, Northrop's CEO, mentioned during an earnings call that corrective actions include a component redesign that has been validated by a successful static-fire test. However, she indicated that the redesigned motors might not be delivered until the end of the year. Vulcan has been grounded since the February incident, and U.S. Space Force officials have considered resuming launches without solid rocket boosters, though no concrete plans have been announced.

Despite these headaches, Northrop executives remain optimistic about the GEM 63XL program's financial performance. CFO John Greene pointed to increased sales in the space division, driven by national security space programs, new awards, and improved performance on the troubled motor program. Meanwhile, Northrop is also grappling with issues on the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module for the lunar Gateway, which NASA has decided not to pursue, pivoting instead to a lunar base. Northrop is now working with NASA to restructure the HALO contract, which will reduce revenue this year but extend the timeline.