{"id":9637,"date":"2026-01-23T18:45:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/eastern-range-ready-for-same-day-fueling-of-space-launch-system-vulcan-rockets\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:45:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:45:56","slug":"eastern-range-ready-for-same-day-fueling-of-space-launch-system-vulcan-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/eastern-range-ready-for-same-day-fueling-of-space-launch-system-vulcan-rockets\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern Range ready for same day fueling of Space Launch System, Vulcan rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket at Launch Complex 39B (left) and United Launch Alliance\u2019s Vulcan rocket inside its Vertical Integration Facility (right): Image: NASA\/Keegan Barber (left), United Launch Alliance (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Update Jan. 24, 8:40 p.m. EST (0140 UTC): Added additional comment from Col. Bulson.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

February 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster month for launches from Florida\u2019s Space Coast. In addition to a now regular cadence of Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX, Cape Canaveral is poised to see launches from Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance and potentially NASA via its Space Launch System rocket.<\/p>\n

The current schedule has two marquee operations scheduled for the same day, Feb. 2: the launch of USSF-87, a national security mission, on a ULA Vulcan rocket and the wet dress rehearsal tanking test for the SLS, a critical milestone on the road to launching Artemis 2, a crewed flight around the Moon.<\/p>\n

With both operations having critical importance to the interests of the U.S. federal government, Col. Joyce Bulson, the deputy commander of the USSF\u2019s Space Systems Command (SSC) Space Launch Delta 45, said a lot of effort went into making sure that both are achievable on the same day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a lot of work to get to that, a lot of deconfliction of range assets because Artemis uses quite a bit of our range capabilities, similar to a test mission,\u201d Bulson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are more resource-intensive from a range perspective. They (NASA) understandably want a lot of data for how the rocket is going to perform as well as for safety factors. So that takes a lot of range resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen at Launch Complex 39B on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, a day after arriving at the pad for prelaunch testing. Image: John Pisani\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Eastern Range, which encompasses the launch pads across NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is responsible for a multitude of elements that allow for smooth and safe launch operations.<\/p>\n

Teams have been preparing for years for a ramp up in launch cadence and last year helped support a record 109 orbital flights. Bulson said one of the things that they keep tabs on is commodity usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday the government, or the Department of War, is not involved in commodities. That is something that the launch providers secure themselves or come up with their own solutions for. And in the case Artemis and Vulcan generally share GN2 (gaseous nitrogen) resources through the NASA pipeline,\u201d Bulson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that is something that has taken several weeks of work action to make sure that there is enough capacity, whether it\u2019s bringing in additional trucks to the GN2 plant or shifting operations slightly by a couple hours to get to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, Bulson said there are a number of resources that factor into any launch campaign, like analyzing pad and flight safety weeks or months in advance with nominal data and then feeding in more particulars, like weather, as launch day approaches. Air and sea surveillance is also an important piece of the pie.<\/p>\n