by A new, long-awaited United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket is set to take off for the first time ever. But will the vehicle be based in a competitive launch market?
The IS Vulcan Centaur It is to be shipped from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Monday morning (January 8). On board will be the Peregrine private lunar lander, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and manufactured by Pittsburgh-based firm Astrobotic.
The launch itself is a big deal; it could lead to a successful private first moon landing On the contrary, it could cast a shadow over NASA’s lunar program and Astrobotic, and cause further delays and questions for the Vulcan Centaur. It also has an unusual demand for initial launch; not only will the rocket reach orbit, but then it will start a transverse injection burn and do it with its Centaur upper stage.
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Additionally, the launch comes at a crossroads for ULA. The company was once dominant in the US shipping market, mainly due to its high reliability Atlas V rocket. In the last ten years, however, the emergence of the SpaceX and its reusable Falcon rockets have revolutionized the launch industry. Last year, SpaceX launched a total of 98 times 109 orbital launch attempts from the United States as a whole.
In another sign of how times have changed, ULA is famous Delta IV Heavy only one launch left, hopefully this spring. The company’s transition to its next-generation rocket began years ago, but the path to the pad has not been smooth for Vulcan Centaur. It has many delays, including the supply of its BE-4 first stage engine from Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company. An explosion during testing of the rocket’s upper stage in March last year set back the first flight yet again
Despite the delay, Vulcan’s order book looks healthy, and there will be plenty of work ahead if the rocket can fly.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in a Nov. 15 call with reporters that Vulcan has a backlog of 70 launches for both government and commercial customers. The first challenge is to get through the January “Certificate 1” launch and send a Hawk towards the moon. If Certification 1 is successful, ULA will have to begin ramping up production of the rocket, to allow two launches per month by the end of 2025.
In addition, ULA has developed a roadmap to adapt and upgrade Vulcan Centaur. Currently, the rocket is optimized for high-energy orbits, with the powerful first stage carrying the Centaur upper stage and payloads almost all the way in. low earth orbit (LEO). However, to launch satellites for constellations such as the Kuiper Amazon broadband network, a smaller, less powerful upper stage would allow for greater payload mass, and therefore more satellites to be deployed to LEO per mission.
ULA is also working to make the Vulcan’s first stage recoverable, and the company plans to reuse the BE-4 convertible engines. The company is also working with NASA on the inflatable hypersonic heat shield as part of its reusability efforts.
It won’t all be ordinary sailing, however, with challenges in the more precise, hidden side of sailing. Bruno noted that there are complexities in managing launch infrastructure at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base, due to increased launch rates and the transfer of range management responsibilities from government to launch providers. Launch preparations also involve planning and scheduling complexities, including the integration of new technologies and coordination with various stakeholders.
Meanwhile, there are rumors surrounding ULA, with owners Lockheed Martin and Boeing putting the company up for sale. Ars Technica it was reported in November that the company was close to choosing a buyer, and the Wall Street Journal reported in late December that the company received purchase offers from Blue Origin and others.
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When asked back in November about a possible sale, Bruno said that after our transformation and our full presence, now, many years, you know, in the commercial market, ULA was in great shape. The company is in great shape.”
While the first Vulcan Centaur sits on the launch pad, the immediate future of the company is somewhat up in the air. The outcome of the mailing may have some effect on the progress or terms of the sale.
ULA’s CEO remains optimistic about the mission, however. “This is the end of a long, multi-year journey for us,” said Bruno. “We’re excited about it.”
The launch is scheduled for 2:18 am EST (0718 GMT) on Monday. You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
