BLUF: USASpending.gov records show Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation holding a $4,426,530,857 contract with NASA for Ares I first-stage development, a 2007-era Constellation program award that logged a transaction modification on August 21, 2026, even though the launch vehicle it funded was cancelled in 2010.

The contract, NNM07AA75C, was signed on August 10, 2007 with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and covers design, development, test and evaluation (DDT&E) of the Ares I first stage — a five-segment solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle program's reusable solid rocket motor. The contract also funded the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Its recorded period of performance runs from April 17, 2006 through December 31, 2026.

Why it matters: This is not a new award. Ares I was the crew launch vehicle NASA developed under the Constellation program, which the agency cancelled in 2010 in favor of what became the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew programs. A recent transaction on a contract this old typically reflects an administrative or closeout-related modification rather than new program funding — a reminder that federal spending data sorted by dollar value can surface legacy management or development contracts long after the underlying program ended, not fresh contract activity.

By the numbers:

• Total obligated amount: $4,426,530,857
• Base award (date signed): August 10, 2007
• Most recent recorded modification: August 21, 2026
• Recorded period of performance: April 17, 2006 – December 31, 2026
• Awarding office: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Northrop Grumman remains a major NASA contractor through separate, active work, including solid rocket booster production for the Space Launch System.

Source: USASpending.gov — Award NNM07AA75C