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United Launch Alliance ushers in a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its second certification flight (Cert-2) of the next generation Vulcan rocket on Oct. 4 at 7:25 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe success of Vulcan\u2019s second certification flight heralds a new age of forward-looking technology committed to meeting the ever-growing requirements of space launch and supporting our nation\u2019s assured access to space. We had an observation on one of our solid rocket boosters (SRB) that we are reviewing but we are overall pleased with the rocket\u2019s performance and had a bullseye insertion,\u201d said Tory Bruno, ULA\u2019s president and CEO.<\/strong> \u201cVulcan provides high performance and greater affordability while continuing to deliver our unmatched reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cert-2 mission carried experiments and demonstrations associated with future capabilities of Centaur V, the world\u2019s highest-performing upper stage designed to further deliver on ULA\u2019s unrivaled legacy of reliability and precision. Centaur V provides 2.5 times the energy and 450 times the endurance of its predecessors, enabling the most complex orbital insertions within the most challenging and clandestine orbits.<\/p>\n \u201cVulcan is built with the strength of a national workforce whose unmatched dedication and innovation has modernized the very best of our industry-leading heritage,\u201d said Mark Peller, vice president of Vulcan Development.<\/strong> \u201cThe foundation of Vulcan\u2019s purpose-built design rests on the best of what we\u2019ve learned from more than 130 combined years of launch experience with Atlas and Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cert-2 mission served as the second of two certification flights required for the U.S. Space Force\u2019s certification process and ULA has now completed all requirements for certification. ULA continues to work closely with the U.S. Space Force as they take the next few weeks to review the data and compare it to ULA\u2019s first certification mission to ensure that the vehicle performed as expected and there are no additional items that need review. Once the evaluation is complete to the Space Force’s standards, the Vulcan rocket will be certified to launch national security missions. <\/p>\n \u201cThe team will continue to modify our infrastructure as we work towards an accelerated launch cadence to meet our customers\u2019 manifest requirements while building off today\u2019s successful launch and developing future Vulcan upgrades, including SMART reuse plans for downrange, non-propulsive recovery of Vulcan engines,\u201d said Bruno.<\/p>\n ULA has sold more than 70 Vulcan launches to date, including 38 missions for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper and multiple national security space launch missions as the part of the country\u2019s Phase 2 launch procurement.<\/p>\n All rockets are not created equal. ULA is the nation\u2019s most experienced, reliable and accurate launch service provider delivering unmatched value, a tireless drive to improve, and commitment to the extraordinary. Vulcan\u2019s inaugural launch marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities and provides higher performance and greater affordability while offering the world\u2019s only high energy architecture rocket to deliver any payload, at any time, directly to any orbit. <\/p>\n Click here to learn more about Vulcan Launch Vehicle Platform featured on SATNow<\/strong><\/p>\n