Founded by Leroy Grumman and his partners on December 5, 1929, the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation—later known as the Grumman Aerospace Corporation—was a leading manufacturer of military and civilian aircraft during the 20th century. It became defunct after Northrop Corporation acquired the company in 1994 to form Northrop Grumman.
While Grumman’s involvement with the manned spaceflight program was not as extensive as that of the Boeing Company, for example, the firm did offer a major contribution: the Lunar Excursion Module, also known as the Apollo Lunar Module. After receiving the contract in 1962, Grumman built 13 modules, with six such crafts successfully landing on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. Grumman was not the prime contractor for any further deals with NASA; however, the company did serve as a subcontractor to Rockwell International for the production of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
