SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
The U.S. Space Force has reassigned a next-generation missile-warning satellite and a payload stack for an experimental cislunar surveillance mission from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The moves are part of a broader reshuffling of military launches prompted by Vulcan delays.
ULA
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The U.S. Space Force has reassigned a next-generation missile-warning satellite and a payload stack for an experimental cislunar surveillance mission from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The moves are part of a broader reshuffling of military launches prompted by Vulcan delays.
A speaker quoted in a Rocket Report says they are “weeks away” from launching on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. The article’s headline also notes a rare Falcon 9 scrub, but the available summary provides no launch date, payload or further details about the Vulcan mission.
United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.
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United Launch Alliance is preparing to resume Vulcan launches in the coming weeks, while financial pressure at the joint venture has renewed questions about whether its owners may ultimately seek a sale. The developments put Vulcan’s launch cadence and ULA’s longer-term corporate structure in focus.
United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin rocket joint venture, is wrapping up a $1.5 billion private-bond transaction—three times the deal’s original size. The financing gives the venture a significantly larger capital-markets transaction as it advances its rocket business.
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United Launch Alliance has appointed longtime company executive Mark Peller as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Peller succeeds the company’s previous leader as the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture navigates challenges surrounding its Vulcan rocket program.
The Boeing-Lockheed Martin rocket joint venture plans to tap the private bond market to refinance existing debt. The transaction would provide fresh financing for the venture while highlighting the capital requirements facing major launch businesses and their shareholders.
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