Tag: Vulcan
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With payload questions, it’s likely Vulcan will not launch again until fall
After the impressive debut of the Vulcan rocket in January, it is unclear when the heavy lift vehicle will fly again. The uncertainty is due to a couple of factors, including the rocket’s readiness and, perhaps more critically, what will fly on top of it. United Launch Alliance, which assembles and launches the Vulcan rocket,…
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‘Cleanest first flight,’ ULA president reflects on inaugural Vulcan launch and future of program
The inaugural Vulcan rocket, powered by two Blue Origin-built BE-4 engines, lifts off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 8, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance entered an important new era for the company with the debut of its Vulcan rocket in early January. The flight was one that…
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Sierra Space unveils fully integrated Dream Chaser spaceplane amid testing campaign
For the first time, Sierra Space mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane to the Shooting Star module amid shake table testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now An orbital-class spaceplane is one step closer to returning to the International Space Station. As part of an on-going test campaign, Sierra Space mated…
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After its impressive first flight, here’s what’s next for the Vulcan rocket
Early Monday morning, the hefty Vulcan rocket streaked into orbit for the first time, nailing its performance targets and delivering a substantial success to United Launch Alliance on the vehicle’s first test flight. Unfortunately for the mission’s primary customer, Astrobotic, there was subsequently an issue with the lunar lander’s propulsion system. However, Astrobotic was quick…
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ULA’s Vulcan rocket shot for the Moon on debut launch—and hit a bullseye
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida—Right out of the gate, United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket chased perfection. The Vulcan launcher hit its marks after lifting off from Florida’s Space Coast for the first time early Monday, successfully deploying a commercial robotic lander on a journey to the Moon and keeping ULA’s unblemished success record intact. “Yeehaw! I…
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ULA marks success with the inaugural mission of its Vulcan rocket launching a Moon-bound robotic lander
The inaugural Vulcan rocket leaps off the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The booster was powered by the first pair of BE-4 engines to fly in space. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now With the company’s future riding on it, United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan rocket successfully put a commercial robotic…
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Navajo objection to flying human ashes to the Moon won’t delay launch
Science instruments aren’t the only things hitching a ride to the Moon on a commercial lunar lander that is ready for launch on Monday. Two companies specializing in “space burials” are also sending cremated human remains to the Moon, and this doesn’t sit well with the Navajo Nation. The Navajo people, one of the nation’s…
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Vulcan successfully launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural flight
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has done its part in returning the US to the Moon with the launch of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander atop its brand-new Vulcan Centaur rocket. Cert-1, The first-ever mission for Vulcan, lifted off on Monday, Jan. 8 at 2:18 AM EST (7:18 AM UTC) during a 45-minute launch window. It took…
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Vulcan successfully launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural flight
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has done its part in returning the US to the Moon with the launch of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander atop its brand-new Vulcan Centaur rocket. Cert-1, The first-ever mission for Vulcan, lifted off on Monday, Jan. 8 at 2:18 AM EST (7:18 AM UTC) during a 45-minute launch window. It took…
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As Vulcan nears debut, it’s not clear whether ULA will live long and prosper
It’s nearly time. After years of delays, billions of dollars in federal funding, and a spectacular second-stage explosion, the large and impressive Vulcan rocket is finally ready to take flight. United Launch Alliance’s heavy lift vehicle underwent its final review on Thursday, and the company cleared the rocket for its debut flight. With weather looking…