Tag: ULA
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Vulcan Centaur Set for November 13 Return to Flight, Carrying Amazon Satellites and a Military Verdict
The grounding traces to the same component failing the same way on two separate flights. Vulcan debuted on January 8, 2024. Its second flight, Cert-2 in October 2024, suffered the disintegration of a nozzle on one of its Northrop Grumman-built GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters. ULA investigated, identified contributing factors, and modified the nozzle design.…
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Space Force Shifts Six National Security Launches to SpaceX as Vulcan Stays Grounded
Vulcan has been grounded since February 12, 2026, when a solid rocket booster anomaly occurred during the USSF-87 mission. The rocket reached orbit, but one of its Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL boosters suffered a visible nozzle failure shortly after liftoff, prompting a comprehensive technical review. Because this was the second nozzle-related irregularity in four flights,…
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Boeing Starliner-1 Cargo Flight Delayed to Q4 2026
Is Boeing’s Starliner Finally Getting Back to the ISS? Boeing has confirmed in an SEC Form 10-Q filing dated July 28 that it now expects to complete an uncrewed Starliner cargo mission — designated Starliner-1 — no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026, slipping past a previous expectation of flying both an uncrewed and…
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Space Force NSSL Ceiling Hits $30B After Lane 1 Triple
Is $30 Billion Enough for the Space Force’s Launch Appetite? The US Space Force tripled the ceiling on its National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract to $17 billion on Friday, July 18, 2026 — pushing the combined maximum value of NSSL Phase 3 past $30 billion when added to the Lane 2…
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Atlas V Flight 110 Done: 6 Rockets Locked to Starliner
Are ULA’s Last Six Atlas V Rockets Stranded on Starliner? The Atlas V completed its 110th flight last Thursday — and the six rockets remaining in United Launch Alliance’s inventory can now only fly one customer: Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. A hardware incompatibility with Vulcan’s payload fairing, the retirement of Atlas V’s five-booster configuration, and…
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GAO Puts $9.5B Missile-Warning Satellite Under Scrutiny
Does the GAO’s 2026 Space Force Report Signal a Defense Space Acquisition Crisis? The Government Accountability Office has put a $9.5 billion price tag on the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous constellation — and that number is still growing. The GAO’s annual assessment of major defense acquisition programs, released July 2, reviewed 13 Space…
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Atlas 5 Ends Satellite Launches with 29 Amazon Leo Sats
Did the Atlas 5 Just Fly Its Last Satellite Mission? Yes — and it went out with a clean record. An Atlas 5 551 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:30 a.m. Eastern on July 2, 2026, deploying 29 Amazon Leo satellites beginning 21 minutes after liftoff and completing the full deployment…
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ULA launches 29 Amazon Leo satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 551 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Leo Atlas 07 mission on May 29, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance overcame adverse weather conditions to launch a batch of Amazon Leo’s broadband internet satellites on its Atlas 5…
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Launch Preview: Starlink and Amazon Leo missions fill manifest
Six orbital launches are expected worldwide this week, headlined by four Falcon 9 Starlink missions from SpaceX’s launch facilities along the Florida and California coasts. Alongside Falcon 9, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V is set to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit, and a Chang Zheng 7A from China will deliver an…
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ULA Vulcan Solid Booster Test Success Amid Anomaly Probe
How is ULA’s Vulcan program progressing despite recent setbacks? United Launch Alliance completed a successful static fire test of Vulcan’s solid rocket boosters on May 13, 2026, marking progress in one propulsion system while the company continues investigating an upper stage anomaly that occurred during the rocket’s second certification flight. The test validates the performance…