# United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Rocket Approaches Military Mission Certification
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is on the verge of reaching a major milestone with its Vulcan rocket, as the U.S. Space Force is set to certify it for national security operations. This certification will enable the Vulcan rocket to carry some of the Pentagon’s most vital payloads into orbit, signaling a new phase in ULA’s extensive collaboration with the U.S. military.
### A New Chapter for ULA’s Vulcan Rocket
The Vulcan rocket is ULA’s next-generation launch vehicle, crafted to succeed the aging Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. It is anticipated to play a pivotal role in deploying national security payloads, which encompass satellites integral for intelligence collection, missile warning systems, and GPS navigation. The certification process for Vulcan has been stringent, necessitating multiple test flights to verify the rocket’s dependability.
On Monday, ULA made a significant advancement by placing the first stage booster of the upcoming Vulcan rocket onto its launch platform at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This rocket will be the inaugural Vulcan vehicle designated to launch a U.S. military payload, a vital milestone in the certification journey.
### Confronting Challenges: Vulcan’s Test Flights
So far, ULA has performed two test flights of the Vulcan rocket, both under the close supervision of Space Force officials. The initial test flight, referred to as Cert-1, occurred in January 2024 and was regarded as nearly perfect. The subsequent test flight, Cert-2, took place on October 4, 2024, and despite facing an anomaly, was considered successful.
During the Cert-2 flight, one of Vulcan’s strap-on solid rocket boosters experienced a loss of its exhaust nozzle, leading to diminished thrust. However, the rocket’s twin BE-4 main engines, developed by Blue Origin, compensated for the unbalanced thrust, and the Centaur V upper stage ignited for an extended duration to offset the shortfall. In spite of the anomaly, the rocket successfully transported its dummy payload into interplanetary space, showcasing the strength of the Vulcan system.
Col. James Horne, who supervises launch execution for Space Systems Command, characterized the flight as a “successful launch,” emphasizing that the rocket’s capability to manage the nozzle failure highlighted its robustness. “They nailed the orbit, probably one of the most precise orbital insertions that I’ve witnessed them achieve yet,” Horne stated.
### Certification Pathway and Timeline
The Space Force is now in the concluding stages of reviewing data from the October 4 launch. Despite the booster anomaly, officials anticipate granting approval for Vulcan’s military missions without necessitating an additional test flight. A stipulation between ULA and the Space Force dictates that two successful flights are required for certification, and the Cert-2 flight qualifies as a success in this regard.
“For the certification plan, which states that the certification flight must successfully deliver the satellite or payload—in this scenario, the mass simulator—to its designated orbit … that’s precisely what transpired,” Horne clarified.
Nevertheless, the certification process has not reached its conclusion. Engineers from ULA, Northrop Grumman (the booster provider), the Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, and NASA are examining the cause of the nozzle malfunction. ULA has obtained remnants of the nozzle from the vicinity of the launch pad, which will assist in the investigation. The inquiry aims to understand the circumstances of the burn-through and how to avert it in future launches.
### Influence on Upcoming Launches
While the certification process is progressing towards completion, the investigation into the booster anomaly might postpone the next few Vulcan launches. The Space Force had aimed to initiate the first two national security missions on Vulcan by the end of 2024, but Horne recognized that there could be some impact on the schedule.
“At this moment, it’s TBD what the launch dates will be,” Horne mentioned. “We’ll require some time to address this specific issue and ensure we’re prepared for those missions.”
In spite of these possible delays, preparations for the next Vulcan launch are ongoing. ULA teams have already moved Vulcan’s core stage to the vertical assembly building and secured it onto its mobile launch platform. This signifies the start of the launch campaign for the USSF-106 mission, which will deploy the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) into geosynchronous orbit to assess next-generation GPS technologies.
### Future of Vulcan and ULA’s Contribution to National Security
ULA is contracted to execute over half of the military’s national security space missions in the coming years, with SpaceX managing the balance. In 2025, ULA is set to conduct five national security missions using Vulcan rockets, including three GPS satellites, the WGS-11 communications satellite, and a classified mission.
However, before any of these operations can advance, ULA requires the final approval from the Space Force.
