Warden discussed the outlook during Northrop Grumman’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call on July 21. She said the company’s national security space backlog exceeded $16 billion.
The portfolio includes the Glide Phase Interceptor, the Ground Weapon System and restricted programs. Northrop Grumman expects the business to grow at a high-single-digit rate in 2026.
National security space is projected to account for more than 15% of the company’s annual revenue. Warden said modern military operations increasingly depend on space-based capabilities across every service.
She described the market as one of the strongest areas of U.S. budget growth. Northrop Grumman also expects the business to become a larger part of its overall portfolio.
The growth is being driven by space resilience, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and missile defense. Warden said the company was also seeing a larger international pipeline for space systems.
Export restrictions mean overseas customers may receive different products from those supplied to the U.S. government. Even so, Warden said international demand for Northrop Grumman’s space portfolio was increasing.
The company is also expanding its commercial satellite-servicing business. Warden highlighted the Mission Robotic Vehicle, or MRV, which uses two robotic arms to repair, relocate and service satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
The spacecraft can install life-extension systems on other satellites. Those systems can extend a satellite’s operating life by as much as eight years, Warden said.
Northrop Grumman developed MRV under a commercial investment model. The spacecraft is expected to become operational in 2027 after reaching its planned orbit and completing testing.
Warden said both government and commercial customers could use the vehicle. The system is intended to extend the service life of high-value assets and reduce maintenance and replacement costs.
Northrop Grumman is also restructuring its work on NASA’s HALO program. The change follows NASA’s decision to move away from its original Gateway plans.
Warden said technology developed for HALO could still support NASA’s revised program. The restructuring will lower revenue in 2026 but extend the work over a longer period.
The company is also assessing future opportunities in space-based air and ground moving-target surveillance. Warden said Northrop Grumman could compete for later procurement tranches.
She did not say whether the company would bid as a prime contractor or supplier. “It is a market that we believe we have opportunity to play in,” Warden said.
Warden’s comments placed national security space among Northrop Grumman’s main long-term growth businesses. The portfolio now spans missile defense, classified programs, surveillance, satellite servicing and civil space work.
