Comments on: Pentagon official blasts ULA’s slow Vulcan launch pace to Congress https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/pentagon-official-blasts-ulas-slow-vulcan-launch-pace-to-congress/ Sun, 25 May 2025 19:45:26 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Lee S https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/pentagon-official-blasts-ulas-slow-vulcan-launch-pace-to-congress/#comment-1589608 Sun, 25 May 2025 19:45:26 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=114265#comment-1589608 I think Musk has shot himself in the foot somewhat by embedding himself so deep in the government over there… There is no doubt that SpaceX can bid for / take over many missions that are currently in the hands of companies that are just not delivering, but the cries of corruption and insider shenanigans will no doubt be legion.

]]> By: Richard M https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/pentagon-official-blasts-ulas-slow-vulcan-launch-pace-to-congress/#comment-1588923 Fri, 23 May 2025 18:29:17 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=114265#comment-1588923 And well might the Defense Department leadership feel frustrated with ULA … since they subsidized Vulcan development with well over $1 billion. (SpaceX development of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy were not subsidized by the military at all!)

This is not all Tory Bruno’s fault — the BE-4 decision was pretty well baked in when he arrived, and ULA’s stakeholders were never going to pay to develop an engine in-house. But the Centaur V upper stage was even more delayed, and that all was on Tory’s watch.

Tory has been sharing photos of Vulcan cores and SRBs stacking up on the factory floor to prove that ULA is raring and ready to go. That’s good to see, but he has to start showing his company can launch it at cadence. That was supposed to happen over 4 years ago.

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