Vulcan returns to flight with 40 Amazon Leo satellites
Published
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur is scheduled to fly on Saturday, Nov. 14 for the first time in nine months, carrying 40 Amazon Leo internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is planned for 12:32 p.m. ET (1732 GMT), according to Space.com.
The gap has a reason. Vulcan debuted in January 2024 and has flown three more times. On its second flight in October 2024 and its fourth in February this year, a nozzle on one of the solid rocket boosters burned through and fell off about 30 seconds after launch. In both cases the rocket still delivered its payloads to the right orbits. Even so, the U.S. Space Force was concerned enough to pause national security launches on Vulcan until ULA addresses the problem, and the third and fourth flights were Space Force missions. Space.com says ULA is confident the rocket is ready to return.
This flight is a commercial one, so it does not itself clear the Space Force hold. It does give ULA a chance to show the fix works on a real launch.
Why it matters: Vulcan is meant to replace Atlas V, which has only about half a dozen launches left on its manifest. Until Vulcan flies reliably, ULA has fewer options to offer customers.
Will one clean flight be enough to bring the Space Force missions back?