Vulcan
New launch vehicles inch towards the pad
Several new launch vehicles, some years behind their original schedules, are now expected to make their inaugural launches within the next year.
Starliner launches to remain on Atlas 5
Boeing and United Launch Alliance say they remain committed to launching future CST-100 Starliner commercial crew missions on Atlas 5 rockets even after that vehicle is effectively retired for other missions.
ULA orders 116 Aerojet Rocketdyne engines for Vulcan’s upper stage
Aerojet Rocketdyne announced April 11 it has received an order from United Launch Alliance for 116 engines for the upper stage of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Amazon launch contracts drive changes to launch vehicle production
United Launch Alliance is planning major production improvements for its Vulcan rocket while Arianespace will increase the performance of its Ariane 6 to meet the demands of their new Amazon contracts for Project Kuiper.
Vulcan Centaur on schedule for first launch in 2022 as New Glenn slips
United Launch Alliance remains confident that its Vulcan Centaur rocket will make its first launch this year while Blue Origin is pushing back the first flight of its New Glenn vehicle.
Star Trek tribute mission to fly on ULA’s Vulcan inaugural launch
Celestis, a company that provides space memorial services, will launch a Star Trek tribute mission on the first flight of United Launch Alliance’s new rocket Vulcan Centaur, ULA announced Jan. 26.
New launch vehicles face schedule pressure
Executives of two launch companies insisted their vehicles will be ready for their inaugural flights in 2022 while a third acknowledged their new vehicle’s first flight will likely slip beyond the end of next year.
Tory Bruno: ULA won’t get engines by Christmas, BE-4s coming in early 2022
“We're in the end game now,” Tory Bruno said Dec. 3 on CNBC.
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.”
