{"id":9991,"date":"2024-10-23T18:24:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T10:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ula-begins-stacking-vulcan-rocket-in-anticipation-of-first-national-security-mission\/"},"modified":"2024-10-23T18:24:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T10:24:17","slug":"ula-begins-stacking-vulcan-rocket-in-anticipation-of-first-national-security-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ula-begins-stacking-vulcan-rocket-in-anticipation-of-first-national-security-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"ULA begins stacking Vulcan rocket in anticipation of first national security mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists its Vulcan first stage booster into the Vertical Integration Facility-G (VIF-G) adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The rocket will launch the USSF-106 mission for the U.S. Space Force\u2019s Space Systems Command, Vulcan\u2019s first national security flight. Image: United Launch Alliance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Update Oct. 23, 12 p.m. EDT: Adding comments from ULA.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Less than a month after the second of two planned certification launches, United Launch Alliance is getting a Vulcan rocket ready for its first national security mission: United States Space Force 106 (USSF-106).<\/p>\n

On Monday, ULA shared photos of the 109.2-foot-long (33.3 m) booster being hoisted into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin the stacking process. In the days and possibly weeks to come, the 38.5-foot-long (11.7 m) Centaur 5 upper stage will be added along with four solid rocket boosters and the payload fairings.<\/p>\n

The beginning of the rocket\u2019s integration comes as the U.S. Space Force continues to review data from the Cert-2 mission, which launched on Oct. 4 from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be certified before you start all of the activities that are involved in getting a payload ready and planning its mission and integrating it,\u201d said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno during a media teleconference prior to the launch of Cert-2. \u201cThat work is already underway. We just can\u2019t fly it until we\u2019re certified and I would say my customer would be reluctant to physically integrate it to the rocket, stick it on the rocket until that is done either.\u201d<\/p>\n