Vulcan
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.
ULA selects Blue Origin to provide Vulcan main engine
United Launch Alliance announced Sept. 27 that it has selected Blue Origin to provide the main engine for its next-generation Vulcan launch vehicle, a decision long expected by the industry.
Aerojet Rocketdyne seeks other customers for AR1 engine
With growing doubts it will be selected by United Launch Alliance for its Vulcan rocket, Aerojet Rocketdyne is looking to smaller launch vehicles as potential customers for its AR1 engine.
ULA selects Aerojet to provide Vulcan upper stage engine
United Launch Alliance has picked Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10 engine to power the upper stage of its next-generation Vulcan rocket, the second such contract Aerojet has secured in as many months.
Air Force stakes future on privately funded launch vehicles. Will the gamble pay off?
The Launch Service Agreement fits the Air Force’s broader goal to get out of the business of “buying rockets” and instead acquire end-to-end services from companies.
ULA to focus more attention on commercial launch market
United Launch Alliance plans to increase its activities in the commercial launch market using both the current Atlas and future Vulcan rockets, while acknowledging that the U.S. government will remain its major customer for the foreseeable future.
BE-4 engine tests continue as ULA waits to make Vulcan engine decision
As Blue Origin continues tests of its BE-4 engine, United Launch Alliance is keeping quiet about when it might select that engine or an alternative for its Vulcan rocket.
ULA taps L3 for Vulcan rocket avionics
United Launch Alliance today selected L3 Technologies to provide avionics and related services for the its next-generation Vulcan rocket.
ULA feels no schedule pressure to select Vulcan engine
The chief executive of United Launch Alliance said Nov. 9 that he doesn’t feel any urgency to select a main engine for his company’s next-generation Vulcan rocket, despite an impending deadline for an Air Force launch competition.
Blue Origin shows interest in national security launches
The new chief executive of Blue Origin told the National Space Council his company is in discussions about certifying its New Glenn rocket for government missions, a shift in strategy that could put the company in competition with a customer.
AR1 rocket R&D costs reach $228 million
Research and development (R&D) costs for the AR1 rocket from the program’s inception through June 30 have reached about $228 million, according to recent Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filings by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the engine's manufacturer.
Loser of ULA’s Vulcan engine downselect will likely lose Air Force funding
Air Force leaders didn't definitively say if they'll cut off funding, but said they're more interested in launch services than engines.
Bruno: Vulcan engine downselect is Blue’s to lose
United Launch Alliance is prepared to select Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine for its Vulcan launch vehicle this year if the engine passes an upcoming series of tests, the company’s chief executive said April 5.
Lockheed Martin halts Athena effort, plans some Atlas 5 overlap with Vulcan
Lockheed Martin has ended its effort to return a small-to-medium-lift launch vehicle to market, and plans to keep the Atlas 5 rocket in flight concurrently with United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket for the first five years of operations.
Lawmakers press Air Force for decision on engine for ULA’s Vulcan rocket
In a letter, the representatives said the service should not provide funding for ULA's development of Vulcan unless it has "full access, oversight of, and approval rights over decision-making."
