Via Satellite reports, “The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket is now certified for U.S. national security missions after receiving certification from the U.S. Space Force. Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Assured Access to Space organization announced the certification on Wednesday for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. ULA is now eligible to launch NSSL missions as one of two certified providers, the other being SpaceX.”
Full Story (Via Satellite)
Tag: Vulcan Centaur
ULA Awaits Space Force’s Certification of its New Vulcan Rocket
Ars Technica reports, “Last October, United Launch Alliance started stacking its third Vulcan rocket on a mobile launch platform in Florida in preparation for a mission for the US Space Force by the end of the year. That didn’t happen, and ULA is still awaiting the Space Force’s formal certification of its new rocket, further pushing out delivery schedules for numerous military satellites booked to fly to orbit on the Vulcan launcher.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
ULA Preparing New Vulcan Centaur Rocket for 1st Space Force Mission
SPACE reports United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket is set for its first U.S. Space Force mission, promising cost-effective launches and advanced technology. “In late 2024 or early 2025, United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly its first of more than two dozen U.S. Space Force missions allocated under a national security space launch contract.”
Full Story (SPACE)
ULA’s New Vulcan Centaur Rocket Successfully Launches in 2nd Test
SPACE reports, “United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) powerful new Vulcan Centaur rocket is two for two. Vulcan Centaur, the successor to ULA’s workhorse Atlas V, launched today (Oct. 4) at 7:25 a.m. EDT (1125 GMT)after a series of holds, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, kicking off a key test flight called Cert-2. The rocket could soon be certified for U.S. national security missions.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
Vulcan Centaur rocket launches on 2nd test flight (Launch at 00:10 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
ULA Planning September Launch of Vulcan to Qualify for Space Force Missions
Breaking Defense reports, “ULA CEO Tory Bruno explained that Air Force space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli asked Lockheed Martin and Boeing to create an independent review team to ‘help’ Vulcan production rates and launch site readiness remain on track.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
ULA Vulcan Unlikely to Launch Again Until Fall
Ars Technica reports, “After the impressive debut of the Vulcan rocket in January, it is unclear when the heavy lift vehicle will fly again. The uncertainty is due to a couple of factors, including the rocket’s readiness and, perhaps more critically, what will fly on top of it.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
AIAA Statement on ULA Vulcan Centaur Launch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:
“Congratulations to the ULA team on today’s Vulcan Centaur Launch! It is exciting to witness this new space launch capability complete its first certification mission. We are pleased to see the positive results of ULA’s partnership with Blue Origin to develop and utilize two BE-4 engines on the vehicle.
We are thrilled to follow Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander’s journey to the moon. This mission is an important part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to deliver science and technology to the lunar service. We are encouraged to see commercial space companies advancing technology in the cislunar ecosystem. Expanding the boundaries leads to success.
AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals making this mission a success. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member ULA for making important contributions to shaping the future of aerospace.”
Media contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, andInstagram.
Video
ULA’s Vulcan rocket, carrying lunar lander, launches for the first time
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Rocket Set to Launch on January 8
Gizmodo reports United Launch Alliance’s “202-foot-tall (61.6-meter) Vulcan Centaur rocket is set to launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral” on Monday, January 8. According to Gizmodo, this is a “huge deal, as it marks the debut of ULA’s first new rocket design in 18 years. While the (mostly) expendable Vulcan Centaur may not be revolutionary from a technological perspective, it represents a significant evolutionary step for ULA.”
Full Story (Gizmodo)
ULA Vulcan Centaur Rocket’s Maiden Launch Delayed to January
SPACE reports that the premiere “of the Space Coast’s newest launch vehicle, carrying a moon lander aiming for the first commercial touchdown, will likely slip to the beginning of 2024.” United Launch Alliance (ULA) “performed a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) of the company’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket over the weekend, which includes loading propellant into the spacecraft and running through launch-day procedures up to the moments before engine ignition.” However, the test did not go to plan. A social media post from ULA CEO Tory Bruno Sunday indicated the test “ran the timeline long so we didn’t quite finish.” Vulcan’s first launch, “which includes the rocket’s Centaur second stage, was scheduled for Dec. 24 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in coastal Florida.” But the incomplete WDR “means that window is likely out.” The next window “opens Jan. 8, and will last four days, the CEO clarified in a follow-up post.” Each of those opportunities “include an instantaneous launch window to accommodate the mission’s main payload: Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, headed for the moon.”
Full Story (SPACE)
ULA Prepares for First Vulcan Centaur Launch
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that United Launch Alliance “has its missing rocket piece in hand at Cape Canaveral and all systems are go for a Christmas Eve launch to mark the debut of its Vulcan Centaur rocket.” A new Centaur upper stage “arrived by barge to the Space Coast on Monday, a replacement for the stage ULA originally planned to fly on the Certification-1 mission this past May.” That initial flight, “already delayed for nearly two years, was again put on hold after an issue with a test version of the Centaur stage was destroyed amid a massive fireball in the spring, requiring design changes to ensure a repeat didn’t happen during actual liftoff.” ULA has been anxious “to get this debut launch off the ground with its primary payload of Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lunar lander, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions.” The lander “traveled from Astrobotic’s headquarters in Pittsburgh arriving to the Space Coast on Oct. 31.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)