United Launch Alliance
Agreement on goals, but no easy answer for future of national security space launch, experts say
“Everybody agrees on the long term,” said William LaPlante, former Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition. But getting to those goals is the hard part.
SpaceX’s low cost won GPS 3 launch, Air Force says
But the military won’t be using a reusable rocket anytime soon
ULA’s first launch of the year will be SBIRS GEO-3
The prominent launch company announced an Air Force mission will be its first 2017 launch
Atlas 5 launches EchoStar 19
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 successfully launched a broadband satellite for EchoStar Dec. 18 on the company’s final mission of the year.
ULA debuts online pricing tool for Atlas launches
An interactive website unveiled by United Launch Alliance Nov. 30 both offers potential customers the ability to get price estimates for launches as well as serves as the latest sign of the ten-year-old company’s self-described transformation in a more competitive launch market.
Hurricane damage at Florida launch facilities not as bad as feared
A powerful hurricane moving up Florida’s east coast Oct. 7 caused some damage to NASA, military and commercial facilities at Cape Canaveral, but far less than what some had feared prior to the storm’s arrival.
ULA says it could accommodate additional Atlas 5 launch next year
United Launch Alliance, which is trying to bolster its appeal to potential launch customers, said Sept. 13 it has at least one spot open on its 2017 manifest for an Atlas 5 launch.
Atlas 5 to launch Mars 2020 rover
NASA’s next Mars rover will fly on the same version of the launch vehicle that launched its predecessor, NASA announced Aug. 25.
No complaint from SpaceX as Air Force skips competition for pair of NRO missions
The U.S. Air Force said it plans to award United Launch Alliance a sole-source contract to build and launch two Delta 4 Heavy rockets for National Reconnaissance Office between 2020 and 2023, according to an Aug. 4 announcement.
Nelson shepherds RD-180 compromise through U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate approved a compromise June 14 that would give United Launch Alliance access to as many as 18 Russian RD-180 rocket engines to compete against SpaceX through 2022 for national security launch contracts.
ULA to launch Air Force’s AEHF-5 satellite in 2018
The Defense Department awarded United Launch Alliance a $138 million contract modification May 31 largely to launch the fifth in a series of protected communications satellites on an Atlas 5 rocket in 2018.
Highlights from the Senate’s floor debate on the RD-180
Senators took to their chamber’s floor June 9 to discuss when United Launch Alliance should stop using Russian RD-180 rocket engines to launch national security satellites.
ULA plans second, bigger round of job cuts in 2017
United Launch Alliance plans to eliminate more than 400 jobs in 2017 in addition to the 375 it plans to cut this year, the head of the Denver-based launch services provider said April 13.
ULA intends to lower its costs, and raise its cool, to compete with SpaceX
A senior United Launch Alliance official on March 15 gave a candid assessment of his company’s attempt to reinvent itself at a time when competitor SpaceX has almost single-handedly caused a rebirth of the cool in U.S. rocketry that has all but bypassed ULA.
