Faced with competition, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is considering keeping Vulcan Centaur rockets’ upper stages in space for additional missions, potentially to counter Chinese threats. ULA CEO Tory Bruno mentioned that these upper stages could hold more propellant than needed for launch, allowing them to stay in orbit.
While ULA’s approach might not involve returning the upper stages to Earth like SpaceX’s Starship, it could still offer new mission opportunities for the company. The concept involves having a fleet of upper stages in space for various tasks to address threats.
Future plans for the Vulcan rocket include potentially reusing the rocket’s upper stage for other missions, and ULA is working on developing more versions of the upper stage. However, delays in the rocket’s second launch due to payload issues are impacting timeline projections.
To achieve certification for missions with the Space Force, ULA needs to increase its launch cadence significantly. Infrastructure improvements, including a new vertical integration facility and additional rocket-hauling ships, are being implemented to support this goal.
Challenges with developing essential components, such as Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine, have led to delays, impacting ULA’s launch schedule. The company is looking at reusing the engine in the future but notes this is still a few years away.
Reports have indicated ULA may be up for sale, with Blue Origin emerging as a potential buyer. Despite these rumors, ULA’s CEO stated that the company’s plans to scale up and invest in infrastructure are not dependent on external financing. ULA has received funding from the National Security Space Launch program and Amazon for its Kuiper mega-constellation project to launch a network of satellites to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. The Kuiper contract has allowed ULA to invest significantly in infrastructure to support future launches.
