NASA switches launch provider from ULA to SpaceX for its SunRise solar mission
NASA yesterday announced that it has switched the rocket it will use to launch its SunRise six-cubesat mission to study the Sun’s corona, from ULA’s Vulcan rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, becoming a secondary payload on a Space Force launch.
NASA’s SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shifting from its original ride into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur vehicle. NASA will share updated launch timing in the near future. The heliophysics mission will fly as a rideshare sponsored by the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
The launch was originally supposed to take place now, in the summer of 2026, but at present the Vulcan rocket is grounded due to problems with its solid-fueled strap-on boosters. NASA apparently decided it would be better to switch to the Falcon Heavy launch, even though as a secondary payload it loses control over exactly when it can launch, and at present the Space Force’s next Falcon Heavy launch is scheduled for 2027.
The switch means a loss of more income for ULA due to its inability to get Vulcan launching regularly and reliably. It also suggests Vulcan repairs remains stalled, and that it will not resume regular launches until next year.
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Given NASA’s level of “insight” into the status of Vulcan, this decision just bolsters my notion that Amazon Leo is secretly negotiating with SpaceX for a Really Big Block Buy of F9 launches to insure its constellation gets deployed by the three-years-from-now deadline. Vulcan was supposed to do the biggest part of the Amazon Leo deployment job, but its ability to do so is now in serious question – more serious than we previously knew it would seem. Even the Trump administration FCC has indicated that the window at the mercy bank is now closed to further withdrawals for Amazon Leo. Amazon either has its full constellation on-orbit by 7-30-2029 or it will have to make do with whatever population of birds it has managed to loft by that date.
I agree. I also think this speculated the Amazon/SpaceX negotiation might explain why SpaceX is no longer taking reservations on future Transporter missions.
There is also the possibility that Amazon is negotiating with SpaceX to use Starship to launch Leo satellites. Now wouldn’t that be a kick?
It would be a kick if it was possible. But the blocky trapezoidal Amazon Leo satellite form factor isn’t compatible with deployment via the Starship “PEZ dispenser” mechanism.
That’s merely an engineering problem, easily solved. The cargo Starships for the Moon will have very different systems, with a larger door.
For the right price, if Amazon’s willing to pay, I am sure SpaceX would be willing to come up with a workable deployment system on future Starships.
Certainly possible in principle, but, given everything else Starship is already committed to do, the matter of timing enters the room. Amazon is up against a hard deadline, the F9 is flying now and SpaceX already knows how to build F9 payload dispensers for Amazon’s Leo sats. A new model of Starship will have a lead time attached and time is one thing Amazon cannot afford to spend any more of on any launch modality with a significant future tense to it.
“a significant future tense” is a great phrase!
The advantage to the “pez dispenser” deployment system is that it already exists, and we have the sense that development of more open ended fairing architectures (like a “clamshell” format) is not nearly as far along. This is why satellite customers like Muon are already designing their satellites for pez dispenser deployment on Starship. It’s suggested that Terran Orbital, Vast, and Momentus may be doing so now as well.
Both Stephen Clark and Triabolical/Eager Space have done analysis pieces on this over the last week. They both suggest a consensus that we are seeing Starship reshape the market for major orbital constellations because everyone appreciates that it’s going to be such a game changer for price point and capability. SpaceX will certainly develop other deployment formats if and when there’s a market for it, but it would have to be a pretty big market; otherwise, it’s turning out to be easier to just design your satellite to fit in the pez format.
There are of course one or two big payloads we know of that are contracted to fly on Starship (like Starlab), but it’s suspected that SpaceX is likely thinking of just using a disposable Starship for them, because these amount to basically one-off payloads.
Regarding Vulcan, I did see this on Spaceflight Now a few days ago:
[Steven Metayer, the vice president of Production Operations at Amazon Leo] said the first Vulcan flight of Amazon Leo satellites is expected to take place sometime in the third quarter of 2026. ULA stacked its Vulcan rocket inside its new VIF-A hangar and plans to conduct a wet dress rehearsal tanking test following the LA-08 launch [currently July 2 UTC].
“Third quarter.” We will just have to see if that actually happens.
I can see a double helical dispenser system for things other than pizza box shaped.