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The US Space Force has certified a new Vulcan Centaur missile from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch security missions.
Thus, ULA joins the SpaceX in the group of companies that provide space launch services to the US Space Force as part of security missions.
«Guaranteed access to space is the main function of the Space Forces and the most important element of national security The Vulcan certification adds new space launch capabilities, resilience and flexibility needed for our nation’s most critical space systems», — said Executive Director of the Space Forces Program for Guaranteed Access to Space, Brigadier General Christine Panzenhagen.
ULA seeks to obtain certification Vulcan Centaur to perform security missions for the U.S. Space Force since 2016, when a corresponding agreement was signed with THE US AIR FORCE. At the time, the Vulcan Centaur rocket was still under development. It was supposed to replace the outdated Atlas V, also developed by the United Launch Alliance
Rocket Since 2002, Atlas V has been repeatedly used in US government space projects to ensure national security. The rocket completed its last mission in July 2024. It is expected to be finally decommissioned at the end of this decade
The Vulcan Centaur rocket was successfully launched for the first time in January 2024, launching a private Peregrine lunar module by Astrobotic. However, due to a serious technical malfunction, this module never reached the Moon.
The next Vulcan launch took place in October last year, as part of a test flight without any payload. According to ULA representatives, the mission was successful despite the failure of the engine nozzles on one of the solid fuel boosters. Later, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said that the malfunction was caused by a defect that has already been fixed.
The US Space Force is likely to have are satisfied with the measures taken by ULA to correct the malfunction. The agency considers the Vulcan rocket to be promising. Its use has been approved for sending payloads into space as part of security missions.
«Vulcan certification is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the Space Force and ULA that encompasses 52 certification criteria, including more than 180 individual tasks, two certification demonstration flights, 60 payload interface requirements reviews, 18 subsystem design and test reviews, and 1 technical base on which to The Space Force will make future airworthiness determinations for launch», — the agency emphasized.
Source: Space.com
