The US Space Force said, that they will not conduct additional national security missions on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, until the launch performance anomaly investigation is complete 12 February 2026 year.
After the launch of the rocket, ULA said, that will work with government partners to determine the root cause of the accelerator problem. In a statement from 25 February Colonel Eric Zarybniski, portfolio executive for space access acquisitions at Space Systems Command, reported, that further national security missions to Vulcan be suspended until the anomaly is resolved. The Space Force did not provide an estimate, how long the review may take.
Suspension of national security launches is a blow to ULA, which seeks to increase Vulcan flight frequency and establish a steady operational tempo. The company recently predicted close to 22 launches this year, working on a queue with approx 80 missions for military and commercial customers.
The Vulcan is a key element of ULA's effort to replace the Atlas rocket 5 and compete more directly for national security contracts. With the suspension of the Vulcan missions, the Space Force is now completely dependent on SpaceX for national security missions in space, until the Vulcan returns to flight.
Source: https://spacenews.com