Vulcan
SpaceX wins contract to launch weather satellite after ULA withdraws
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch the last in a series of geostationary weather satellites that had previously been launched by United Launch Alliance.
Space Force launch director on Vulcan and BE-4: ‘We have to be very focused from here on out’
The head of the U.S. Space Force launch enterprise said it is “unfortunate” that Blue Origin is taking far longer than expected to complete the testing and production of BE-4 rocket engines for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.
After meeting with ULA and Blue Origin, Air Force secretary cautiously optimistic about Vulcan
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Aug. 24 met with the chiefs executives of United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin and was briefed on the Vulcan Centaur.
National security launch in transition as Space Force waits for Vulcan
The Space Force is starting to look ahead to its NSSL 3 launch competition even as it faces a longer wait for ULA's Vulcan Centaur to begin launching NSSL 2 missions.
Bruno: The next big thing for ULA is a long-endurance upper stage
ULA is still betting on long-endurance upper stages and believes the technology has a bright future.
Space Force awards engineering contract for certification of ULA’s Vulcan rocket
Millennium Engineering and Integration on Feb. 19 received a $13.2 million contract for services in support of the Vulcan rocket certification.
Northrop Grumman test fires solid motor for ULA’s Vulcan rocket
Northrop Grumman announced Jan. 21 it completed a static firing of the strap-on solid booster it developed for United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket.
ULA’s new rocket Vulcan projected to launch in late 2021
Tory Bruno said he is confident that Vulcan and first customer — Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander — will be on the launch pad “by the end of next year.”
ULA: Dream Chaser schedule slip not a setback to Vulcan certification
ULA said the delay in Dream Chaser’s first mission will not prevent Vulcan from getting certified on time for its first national security mission in 2022.
Air Force Research Laboratory’s NTS-3 satellite to launch on ULA’s Vulcan
The 1,250-kilogram NTS-3 satellite is being built by L3Harris under an $84 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory.
ULA studying long-term upgrades to Vulcan
United Launch Alliance is looking at a three-core version of its Vulcan Centaur rocket, although an executive said that such a vehicle is “pretty far out on the horizon.”
ULA pushing forward with Vulcan amid concerns about engine delays
For ULA’s president and CEO Tory Bruno, job No. 1 is to get Vulcan ready for its maiden launch, which he says will happen in early 2021. This will be a critical first step toward the certification of Vulcan for national security missions.
Blue Origin opens rocket engine factory
Blue Origin formally opened a factory Feb. 17 that the company plans to use to produce engines both for its vehicles and for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
ULA gets vague on Vulcan upgrade timeline
As United Launch Alliance prepares for the maiden flight of its Vulcan Centaur rocket, the company no longer has a clear timeline for a major second-stage upgrade.
Atlas, Delta rocket factory begins transition to Vulcan Centaur
Vulcan scores two new customers as ULA begins factory upgrades in preparation for the transition to Vulcan production.
Sierra Nevada Corp. selects ULA Vulcan for Dream Chaser missions
Sierra Nevada Corp. announced Aug. 14 that it will use United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicle for sending Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station starting in late 2021.
ULA to fly Vulcan technology on Atlas 5 to gain flight heritage
United Launch Alliance will begin flying Vulcan hardware on Atlas 5 rockets this year in an effort to give the next-generation launcher bona fide flight heritage before its debut in 2021.
Launch companies reduce vehicle options to lower costs
Launch companies that once offered many variants of an individual vehicle to match the specific needs of payloads are now moving to a smaller number of standardized designs, trading off optimization for cost savings.
ULA now planning first launch of Vulcan in 2021
ULA now expects to perform the first launch of its next-generation Vulcan rocket in the spring of 2021, a slip of nearly a year that the company says is due to requirements of a recent Air Force award.
