Space Force finally certifies ULA’s new Vulcan rocket for commercial military launchesAfter significant delays in developing ULA’s new Vulcan rocket, and then further delays after the rocket’s second test launch (which experienced technical issues), the Space Force today finally announced that it has certified the rocket, thus allowing ULA to proceed with several military launches that have been stalled for months. From ULA’s press release:
In September 2016, ULA entered into an agreement with the U.S. Air Force and outlined the plan to certify Vulcan according to the Air Force’s New Entrant Certification Guide. Over the last few years, the collective ULA and Space Force team have completed 52 certification criteria, including more than 180 discrete tasks, two certification flight demonstrations, 60 payload interface requirement verifications, 18 subsystem design and test reviews, and 114 hardware and software audits.
What was not revealed was the criteria the Space Force used to finally put aside as critical the loss of a nozzle on one of Vulcan’s two side booster’s during the second test launch. While the rocket successfully got its payload into the proper orbit, for a booster to lose a nozzle is not trivial. ULA has recently said it had found the cause and has fixed it, but few details have been revealed. Nor has this new announcement revealed any further details about the fix.
Regardless, this certification is very good news for ULA. Expect it to move as quickly as it can (which will seem slow in comparison to SpaceX) to launch a number of delayed military launches.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
After significant delays in developing ULA’s new Vulcan rocket, and then further delays after the rocket’s second test launch (which experienced technical issues), the Space Force today finally announced that it has certified the rocket, thus allowing ULA to proceed with several military launches that have been stalled for months. From ULA’s press release:
In September 2016, ULA entered into an agreement with the U.S. Air Force and outlined the plan to certify Vulcan according to the Air Force’s New Entrant Certification Guide. Over the last few years, the collective ULA and Space Force team have completed 52 certification criteria, including more than 180 discrete tasks, two certification flight demonstrations, 60 payload interface requirement verifications, 18 subsystem design and test reviews, and 114 hardware and software audits.
What was not revealed was the criteria the Space Force used to finally put aside as critical the loss of a nozzle on one of Vulcan’s two side booster’s during the second test launch. While the rocket successfully got its payload into the proper orbit, for a booster to lose a nozzle is not trivial. ULA has recently said it had found the cause and has fixed it, but few details have been revealed. Nor has this new announcement revealed any further details about the fix.
Regardless, this certification is very good news for ULA. Expect it to move as quickly as it can (which will seem slow in comparison to SpaceX) to launch a number of delayed military launches.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I think the clincher was the the special test static firing that Northrop Grumman and ULA conducted on a GEM-63XL motor at NGC’s facility in Promontory, Utah on Feb. 13. The firing was said to be a success. Apparently, it demonstrated to ULA’s satisfaction (and the Space Force’s) that the manufacturing mods that Northrop made to the shell insulators were effective.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/02/gem-63xl-test-fire/
Obviously we’re all on the outside looking in, and also obviously DoD has played favorites with ULA in the past. But I think F9/FH’s availability gave the Space Force the comfort level to take their time with this certification. They’ve already shifted some NSSL payloads over to SpaceX, and there is no reason they couldn’t move more if they really felt uncomfortable with NG’s fix.
I think you are right – as usual. The Space Force has already waited far too long anent reassigning a number of supposedly “urgent” payload launches to SpaceX when that would certainly not have happened had the proverbial shoe been on the other foot.
But the ball is now entirely in ULA’s court. Time to march or die. If ULA can’t start launching Vulcans by, at the latest, late spring or early summer, I hope the Space Force does the right thing and starts the process of moving launches to SpaceX.
The first Vulcan launch up in the queue is USSF-106. (This will be a 4 booster configuration, VC4.) ULA has this nominally listed as “2Q” but Space Systems Command, in a summary accompanying its press release, said the first NSSL mission on Vulcan is planned for the “summer.” Tory made some noise about it requiring a lot of special processing.
So, I’m expecting it no earlier than July. Won’t be surprised if it slips beyond that.
I can’t get interested in throwaway rockets any more.
“Certified” but the 4 booster configuration not flown before?
You see a lot of weird configurations….an LV with one solid—a rather sizable antenna sticking out of the sides of fairings…
Richard M,
Thank for the details. I knew none of that because, as a Borgeltian, I also pay little attention to throwaway rockets anymore – at least those built by legacy aerospace.
It would be nice if it was rockets ULA had in profusion rather than merely excuses for their absence.
Mike Borgelt,
Anent that throwaway rocket thing – me too.
Four boosters is just two more than what has already flown. And six boosters will be just four more. What could possibly go wrong?
Jeff Wright,
I never saw the antenna thing. I hope it was on one of those single-booster configurations you mentioned – to maybe offset the asymmetric thrust. The single-booster thing was strictly for Atlas V. It barely ever flew and, so far as I know, won’t ever fly again. Vulcan, thank goodness, is strictly even-numbers-only where SRBs are concerned.