Northrop Grumman El Segundo and Space Park in 2026: Satellite Programs and the South Bay Aerospace Hub
Northrop Grumman El Segundo and Space Park in 2026: satellite programs and the South Bay aerospace hub
Northrop Grumman's South Bay presence — spanning El Segundo, Redondo Beach, and Manhattan Beach — is one of the largest aerospace campuses in the world. The flagship facility, Space Park in Redondo Beach, covers over 100 acres with nearly 5 million square feet of facilities and more than 8,000 employees. Between the El Segundo and Redondo Beach offices, Northrop Grumman currently lists 77 open positions, making it one of the company's densest hiring hubs.
What Northrop Grumman does in El Segundo and Space Park
The South Bay campus is the center of Northrop Grumman's Space Systems sector. Major programs based here:
James Webb Space Telescope — Northrop Grumman led the industry team that built JWST. The telescope was assembled at Space Park before being transported to French Guiana for launch. While the build phase is complete, the engineering team continues supporting operations and lessons learned feed into future programs.
Next-Gen OPIR (NGP) — A $1.8 billion Space Force contract awarded in October 2024 to build the first two polar-orbit infrared missile warning satellites. Work runs through 2031 with first launch targeted for 2028. This is the successor to the legacy SBIRS constellation, providing northern hemisphere missile detection with modernized sensors. Much of this program traces directly to the heritage OPIR work done at Space Park and the Azusa facility.
Military satellite communications — Secure communications satellites for the Department of Defense. The cancellation of one military comms satellite contract in early 2024 led to up to 1,000 layoffs at Space Park, but the NGP contract and other classified work have since stabilized headcount.
Microelectronics foundry — Space Park produces radiation-hardened microchips for military satellites. Northrop Grumman is part of the California DREAMS consortium supporting U.S. microelectronics supply chain security.
Precision sensors and directed energy — Advanced sensor development and directed energy weapon systems research, much of it classified.
Salary ranges
From our database of Northrop Grumman El Segundo and Redondo Beach positions with salary data:
These are base salaries before Northrop Grumman's annual incentive plan (typically 8-15% for ICs, 15-25% for managers). South Bay salaries are among the highest in the Northrop Grumman network, reflecting California cost of living and the seniority of roles at the sector headquarters.
El Segundo vs. Redondo Beach
The two sites are functionally adjacent — El Segundo sits just north of Manhattan Beach, which borders Redondo Beach. They operate as a single campus:
| Site | Positions | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| El Segundo | 39 | Satellite payloads, RF integration, capture management |
| Redondo Beach (Space Park) | 38 | Spacecraft bus, GNC, sensors, OPIR, microelectronics |
If you're interviewing for a role listed at one location, you may end up working at the other — they share infrastructure and badge access.
The Space Park heritage
Space Park's aerospace legacy predates Northrop Grumman by decades. TRW Inc. built the campus in 1961 as its space and defense R&D center. Over four decades, TRW built Pioneer spacecraft, early ICBM guidance systems, TDRSS communications satellites, and SBIRS missile warning satellites at Space Park. Northrop Grumman acquired TRW for $7.8 billion in 2002, gaining Space Park and its workforce. Much of the institutional knowledge that anchors the South Bay campus traces back to TRW engineers who stayed through the acquisition.
Within 10 miles of Space Park: SpaceX (Hawthorne), Blue Origin (El Segundo), Boeing (El Segundo), L3Harris (El Segundo), The Aerospace Corporation (El Segundo), and Raytheon (El Segundo). This makes the South Bay the densest concentration of space and defense employers in the country. Job-hopping between companies is common. The trade-off is California cost of living — expect $2,500-$4,000/month for a one-bedroom apartment in the beach cities. An engineer earning $180K here has roughly the same purchasing power as $120K in Melbourne, FL (Northrop's largest site by headcount).
Browse all Northrop Grumman positions on Zero G Talent. For other NG locations, see Northrop Grumman Azusa, Northrop Grumman San Diego, or Northrop Grumman Cincinnati. For other South Bay employers, see Blue Origin El Segundo or browse SpaceX positions.
