The United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket completed its debut launch on Jan. 8 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying the lunar lander Peregrine. The lander was developed by Astrobotic Technology and is flying 20 payloads, including five for NASA.
ULA, with SpaceX, is one of two firms certified to fly space missions for the U.S. Defense Department and intelligence community. The Space Force chose ULA to conduct 60% of its launches and SpaceX to fly the remaining 40%. Vulcan is set to replace ULA’s Atlas V and Delta IV rockets once certified.
Vulcan’s second certification flight is expected this spring, with its first military mission planned for the summer and another three national security missions by year’s end.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter, having covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force.
