OmegA
Concept Led By: United States Government (Air Force/Space Force)
Companies Involved: Northrop Grumman
The OmegA was a medium-lift to heavy-lift launch vehicle concept. The concept itself spent several years in development by Northrop Grumman. On top of this, most of that funding was provided by the United States Government. The idea for the launcher was that it would be able to launch U.S. National Security Satellites and be part of the Air Force’s National Security Space Launch or NSSL replacement program. There were two composite solid rocket stages with a cryogenic upper stage, which would have been developed in partnership with Aerojet Rocketdyne. Blue Origin was going to make this but the team moved on from that. The OmegA consisted of a five-segment Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster or SRB, along with its cryogenic second stage.
Due to President Trump’s decision to form the Space Force, all space-related projects and organizations would flow through this. Yet it would be run by the Air Force. While this launch vehicle was for U.S. Government use, they also planned to send commercial payloads up as well. However, the private company launches were likely to be quite expensive. By 2016, development was planned once the Air Force reached a funding decision, which they did in 2018. That was when Northrop Grumman was awarded $792 million for initial OmegA development. Yet in August 2020, over $3.5 billion dollars later, the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 did not include the Omega, canceling the project.