Lift off! ULA launches next generation Vulcan on second certification flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — United Launch Alliance’s track record of success has continued after this morning’s lift-off of a next-generation Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The launch was a second certification flight to test the rocket’s capabilities and was also the final step required for certification,ULA said in a news release. The U.S. Space Force will  review the data and compare it to the first certification mission to ensure that the vehicle performed as expected and there are no additional items that need review.

Once the evaluation is complete to the Space Force’s standards, the Vulcan rocket will be ready to launch national security missions,” ULA said.

“The success of Vulcan’s second certification (Cert-2) flight heralds a new age of forward-looking technology committed to meeting the ever-growing requirements of space launch and supporting our nation’s assured access to space,” said President and CEO Tory Bruno. “We had an observation on one of our solid rocket boosters (SRB) that we are reviewing but we are overall pleased with the rocket’s performance and had a bullseye insertion.

“Vulcan provides high performance and greater affordability while continuing to deliver our unmatched reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil, and commercial markets.”

The Cert-2 mission carried experiments and demonstrations associated with future capabilities of Centaur V, the world’s highest-performing upper stage designed to further deliver on ULA’s unrivaled legacy of reliability and precision. Centaur V provides 2.5 times the energy and 450 times the endurance of its predecessors, enabling the most complex orbital insertions within the most challenging and clandestine orbits.

“The team will continue to modify our infrastructure as we work towards an accelerated launch cadence to meet our customers’ manifest requirements while building off today’s successful launch and developing future Vulcan upgrades, including SMART reuse plans for downrange, non-propulsive recovery of Vulcan engines,” Bruno said.

Mark Peller, vice president of Vulcan Development, credited the company’s employees for the trend of success. ULA has a manufacturing facility in Decatur.

“Vulcan is built with the strength of a national workforce whose unmatched dedication and innovation has modernized the very best of our industry-leading heritage,” said Peller. “The foundation of Vulcan’s purpose-built design rests on the best of what we’ve learned from more than 120 combined years of launch experience with Atlas and Delta.”