ULA Scales back Vulcan Launch Ambitions to Single flight in 2024
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch onyl one Vulcan rocket in 2024, a significant reduction from its initial goal of up to ten launches this year. The delay stems not from rocket production-ULA has multiple Vulcan rockets in storage at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station-but from ongoing inspections and logistical hurdles, the company and the Space Force confirmed.
The first Vulcan Centaur successfully launched in January 2024, marking a critical milestone for U.S. space access. However, subsequent launches have faced delays, prompting increased scrutiny of the rocket’s performance, particularly its solid rocket boosters. It remains unclear whether the latest delays are related to the readiness of the Space Force’s GSSAP satellites-the next GPS satellite has been available as 2022-inspections of the solid rocket motors, or other factors.
A Space Systems Command spokesperson stated, “Appropriate actions are being executed to ensure a prosperous USSF-87 mission … The teams analyze all hardware and also available data from previous missions to evaluate space flight worthiness of future missions.” The spokesperson declined to comment specifically on inspections of the solid rocket motors from the most recent Vulcan flight.
ULA is also working to expand launch capacity at Cape Canaveral with a new rocket assembly hangar and a second mobile launch platform. The company aims to eventually launch Vulcan rockets at a rate of twice per month, requiring the ability to concurrently prepare multiple rockets. Ground crews recently moved the second Vulcan launch platform to the pad for testing, signaling progress, but confirming that increased launch cadence won’t occur this year.
While the slow launch rate is not uncommon for new rockets, it represents a setback for ULA. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and ULA’s Atlas V both took 28 months to reach their fourth flight, a milestone Vulcan is projected to reach in May 2026.The Delta IV rocket required 25 months for its fourth mission after debuting in 2002, while Europe’s Ariane 6 reached the same point in 16 months. SpaceX’s starship achieved its fourth test flight in less than 14 months.
