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In February 2024, Firefly announced that they would be expanding the size of their manufacturing facility in Briggs, Texas to support the production of MLV and Antares 330. This expansion doubles the area of the complex from 8,550 m2 (92,000 square feet) to 19,230 m2 (207,000 square feet). Two months later, they reported that the development was progressing smoothly, with the rockets' Miranda engines beginning full production in June.
In the summer of 2024, Firefly and Northrop Grumman made an announcement that MLV would pursuit a partially reusable configuration in a similar vein to the operations of Falcon 9, New Glenn, and Neutron.[10] They clarified that the first stage will be able to perform return to launch site (RTLS) maneuvers and landings, hoping that the technology for doing so would be refined and put into full use by the sixth flight of the vehicle after its first several flights are made in an expendable configuration.
On May 29, 2025, Firefly announced that they have received a US$50 million investment by Northrop Grumman in their joint development of the rocket. Additionally, the two companies officially renamed the Medium Launch Vehicle to Eclipse.
Eclipse, previously known as Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) and Firefly Beta, is a two-stage, partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle being jointly developed by Firefly Aerospace and Northrop Grumman. Formally announced in 2022, the rocket is designed to be a successor to Northrop Grumman's Antares launch vehicle, able to be partially reused and can launch 16,300 kg (35,900 lb) into low Earth orbit. Currently, the maiden launch of Eclipse is slated for the second half of 2026.
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Similar to two celestial bodies coming together, Eclipse represents two powerful forces – Firefly and Northrop Grumman – joining forces to transform the launch market. We’re combining decades of flight heritage and bold, rapid innovation to fill a void in the industry with our 16 metric ton rocket that’s a natural fit to launch space station resupply missions, critical national security missions, and commercial constellations for the domestic and international market.
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- What a great time to be alive with all the great things the various space launch vehicles that are coming out.! It is "Eclipsing" everything that has happened in the past 20 to 30 years!
- For clarification, is Eclipse referring to only Firefly's MLV, Antares 330, or have the two been combined in some fashion?
