Vulcan Begins Operational Missions

On August 12, 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT (0056 UTC), United Launch Alliance successfully launched its Vulcan Centaur VC4S vehicle from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the USSF-106 mission, the third overall flight of the Vulcan rocket but its first to carry national security payloads, having completed the necessary government certification from its first two flights. This mission delivered critical spacecraft—including the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) and an unknown secondary payload directly into geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), a high-energy trajectory enabled by the advanced Centaur V upper stage, which offers significantly higher endurance than ULA’s legacy Centaur III. 

The launch demonstrated Vulcan’s full range capabilities as it seeks to carve out a foothold in the launch market, providing an end to end solution for a wide variety of mission types. Much to the relief of ULA, and their partners at Northrop Grumman, the ascent was nominal, despite an SRB nozzle anomaly on flight 2 which led to a lengthy stand down, underscoring the vehicle’s operational maturity and robustness as ULA transitions from developmental tests to firm operational status under the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. The spacecraft separation occurred roughly seven hours after liftoff, with ULA ending coverage after spacecraft separation. 

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur is a next-generation heavy‑lift launch vehicle developed to replace the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets in the face of changing needs and broader geopolitical pressure, integrating decades of ULA launch architecture with novel upgrades. Vulcan’s first stage is powered by two Blue Origin BE‑4 engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen; a domestic alternative to the Russian built RD-180 used on the Atlas series of rockets. By phasing out the RD-180 in favor of BE-4, Vulcan ends one of the last major areas of U.S. reliance on Russian aerospace technology, closing a geopolitical gap that was highlighted after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and exacerbated during the ongoing war in Ukraine. This transition strengthens U.S. industrial independence and bolsters the government’s ability to launch critical defense and intelligence payloads without risk of foreign supply chain disruptions or political leverage.

The Centaur V upper stage uses dual RL 10C cryogenic engines capable of performing multiple burns on high endurance missions, building off of the legacy of the high endurance upper stage. Up to six Northrop Grumman GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters can be added for missions demanding extra thrust, enabling a payload capacity of up to ~27,200 kg to LEO and around 14,500 kg to GTO depending on the configuration of the vehicle.

In an age where space has become increasingly important to national security architectures, redundant launch options are a cornerstone of national security space strategy; ensuring resilience, deterrence, and continuity in the face of both technical failures and adversarial threats. National security payloads, such as early warning systems, secure communications satellites, and reconnaissance platforms are vital to maintaining situational awareness, enabling military operations and protecting national interests. The ability to launch these critical assets on multiple, independent launch systems mitigates the risks associated with reliance on a single provider or vehicle, enhancing mission assurance in an increasingly contested regime. Such is the end goal of the National Security Space Launch program, which seeks to distribute vital government payloads across industry to prevent potential bottlenecks, a policy that has its roots in the Challenger disaster of 1986. On April 4, 2025 it was announced that SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin won the latest round of NSSL’s higher priority missions, winning about 28, 19, and 7 launches respectively, with options for additional launches possible.

The path to operational Vulcan flights has been marred with challenges, with the company encountering several key issues during the test and verification campaigns. Delivery delays of the Blue Origin manufactured BE-4 engines, the COVID-19 pandemic and an explosion of the Centaur V upper stage’s Structural Test Article resulted in the projected debut date for the vehicle slipping considerably. On Vulcan’s second flight, known as Cert-2, the vehicle encountered an unexpected anomaly which further delayed the program as a whole. Approximately 37 seconds after liftoff, one of the rocket’s two Northrop Grumman GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters (SRBs) experienced a nozzle failure, where the nozzle detached from the booster. This led to asymmetric and reduced thrust, causing a slight visible tilt in the rocket’s trajectory. However, the guidance system and BE-4 main engines compensated effectively, and the Centaur upper stage extended its burn by about 20 seconds to ensure the vehicle reached its intended orbit, a “bullseye insertion” according to CEO Tory Bruno. ULA is eyeing continued expansion of Vulcan operations, bringing online new integration facilities at Cape Canaveral and a refurbished SLC-3E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Though demand in the American launch market has increased, Falcon 9 has increasingly represented the bulk of launch vehicle supply, with SpaceX acting as a de facto monopoly. Vulcan coming online alongside other new players such as Blue Origin’s New Glenn and Firefly’s Eclipse could represent a crucial shift in a market in need of more options. Early wins for Vulcan included the second round of the National Security Space Launch contract, and Amazon’s Kuiper mega-constellation – securing 38 missions for the vehicle well ahead of its debut, with more being added as the vehicle gains operational experience. Sierra Space has contracted the company to launch their Dream Chaser space plane for regular cargo resupply to the International Space Station, however the schedule for the vehicle’s flight remains uncertain given manufacturing delays. ULA also plans to include Vulcan in NASA’s Launch Service Provider on-ramp for future science mission consideration. 

With Vulcan now engaged in national security missions, alongside a plethora of commercial and government payloads waiting to go, the future looks bright for United Launch Alliance. The landscape, however, is always changing – and a future in space is not certain in these changing times. For Vulcan, however, the successful launch of USSF-106 is a step in the right direction.