United Launch Alliance News

Breaking Defense • Theresa Hitchens

ULA Vulcan Rocket Certified for National Security Missions

The U.S. Space Force has certified United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket for National Security Space Launch missions, ensuring it can now carry sensitive military satellites into orbit. This certification process involved successful test flights and marks an end to Space Force's sole reliance on SpaceX for such missions.

2025-03-26T11:54:53.361181-07:00

SpaceNews.com

ULA Vulcan Centaur Launch: Successful Second Test with Booster Anomaly

2024-10-04T05:38:10.155344-07:00

Florida Today

ULA Vulcan Centaur Set for Second Launch on Oct. 4 at Cape Canaveral

2024-10-02T06:26:19.959243-07:00

SpaceNews.com

SpaceX Secures $733M for 8 National Security Space Launches

2024-10-18T13:17:31.190705-07:00

United Launch Alliance News Timeline

Space.com

USSF Certifies ULA's Vulcan Centaur, Bolstering Competition with SpaceX The U.S. Space Force has certified United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket for national security space launches, replacing Russian engines and increasing competition with SpaceX. The Vulcan offers multiple configurations, enhancing mission flexibility and supporting critical space-based systems from summer 2025 through 2027.

2025-03-27T15:08:00.330555-07:00

USSF Certifies ULA's Vulcan Centaur, Bolstering Competition with SpaceX

Breaking Defense

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ULA Vulcan Rocket Certified for National Security Missions The U.S. Space Force has certified United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket for National Security Space Launch missions, ensuring it can now carry sensitive military satellites into orbit. This certification process involved successful test flights and marks an end to Space Force's sole reliance on SpaceX for such missions.

2025-03-26T11:54:53.361181-07:00

ULA Vulcan Rocket Certified for National Security Missions

Payload

ULA CEO Challenges Accuracy of US Air Force Report ULA's CEO has disputed the accuracy of a recent US Air Force report, stating that the information was not only incorrect at the time of writing but also outdated due to subsequent events. This disagreement highlights potential communication gaps between the defense industry and military stakeholders.

2025-03-13T05:36:11.251000-07:00

ULA CEO Challenges Accuracy of US Air Force Report

Breaking Defense

ULA Nears Space Force Certification Post-Vulcan Anomaly Resolution United Launch Alliance has concluded its investigation into the Vulcan rocket anomaly, paving the way for the awaited National Security Space Launch certification. CEO Tory Bruno confirmed the issue stemmed from a manufacturing error, and future missions may seek to counter Chinese satellite observations.

2025-03-12T11:00:44.733733-07:00

ULA Nears Space Force Certification Post-Vulcan Anomaly Resolution

SpaceNews.com

Manufacturing Defect Led to Vulcan Rocket Motor Incident The investigation into the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur anomaly revealed that a manufacturing defect caused the loss of a solid rocket motor nozzle during the rocket’s second flight in October. This finding underscores critical quality control challenges in aerospace manufacturing.

2025-03-12T09:38:57.340195-07:00

Manufacturing Defect Led to Vulcan Rocket Motor Incident

Bloomberg

Lockheed-Boeing Joint Venture Rated Subpar by USAF The Lockheed Martin and Boeing collaboration was found lacking in performance compared to its objectives in the Air Force's evaluation of national security satellite launchers, where it competes against SpaceX. Specific areas of underperformance were highlighted in the program review.

2025-03-11T03:43:10.122378-07:00

Lockheed-Boeing Joint Venture Rated Subpar by USAF

SpaceNews.com

Executives Call for Modernizing US Launch Facilities Leaders from Blue Origin, SpaceX, and ULA advocate for upgrading U.S. launch infrastructure to boost capacity and meet future demand. The rapid increase in launch frequency necessitates immediate updates to facility capabilities to ensure the industry can sustain growth and maintain operational efficiency.

2025-03-04T13:44:46.800026-08:00

Executives Call for Modernizing US Launch Facilities

NASA Spaceflight

GEM-63XL Tested to Address Vulcan Rocket Certification Issues The static fire test of the GEM-63XL solid rocket motor at Promontory aims to address anomalies from Vulcan's second certification mission on October 4, 2024. United Launch Alliance is investigating the issue as part of their ongoing efforts to ensure mission reliability.

2025-02-19T01:13:06.079379-08:00

GEM-63XL Tested to Address Vulcan Rocket Certification Issues

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