(Reuters) -U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) has invested $50 million into space startup Firefly Aerospace to aid the production of their jointly developed rocket, the companies said on Thursday.

The medium launch vehicle, dubbed "Eclipse", is built upon Northrop Grumman's ( NOC ) Antares and Firefly's Alpha rocket, and is set to first launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, as early as 2026.

Eclipse is designed to support space station resupply, commercial spacecraft, critical national security missions and scientific payloads for domestic and international markets.

Northrop's investment comes as interest in space startups heats up under U.S. President Donald Trump's efficiency drive, encouraging more joint projects between big defense contractors and smaller tech firms.

Firefly gained prominence in the space race after becoming the second private firm to score a moon landing in a successful first attempt with its uncrewed Blue Ghost spacecraft earlier this year.

The Texas-based company was valued at more than $2 billion in November, when it raised $175 million in a late-stage funding round. It makes small- and medium-lift launch vehicles for commercial launches to the earth's orbit.

(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)