US space forces (U.S. Space Force) officially certified the Vulcan Centaur rocket from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to carry out national security missions. This was announced by the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) 26 March, after a thorough analysis of two rocket certification launches in January and October 2024 year, as well as other stages of development.
What does Vulcan certification mean??
This decision made ULA the second company behind SpaceX, which received permission for launches within the framework of the National Security Space Launch program (NSSL). The Space Systems Command noted, that Vulcan certification expands opportunities for launches, increases the flexibility and reliability of national space systems.
Certification delay: what happened during the second launch?
The Vulcan's certification process was delayed by a problem during the second test flight (Cert-2). Then, on the 30th second after launch, the nozzle of one of the two solid-fuel boosters separated from the rocket. Despite this, the rocket was able to compensate for the loss of thrust and successfully completed the mission.
The cause of the failure was a manufacturing defect in the insulating layer of the nozzle. After conducting static tests in February at the Northrop Grumman test site in Utah, the problem has been fixed, and all necessary adjustments have been made.
Next steps: launch of national security missions:
The next launch is the Atlas rocket 5 with Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon, which may take place as early as April. Vulcan's first national security missions, USSF-106 та USSF-87, planned for the summer 2025 year. The company is preparing to 12 launches in 2025 year, equally distributed between the Atlas and Vulcan rockets, as well as between commercial and military missions. By the end of the year, ULA plans to reach a pace of two launches per month, a u 2026 year - 20 launches per year.
The company has already prepared the necessary components, such as BE-4 engines and solid propellant boosters, which will allow to quickly carry out new launches. Certification of Vulcan is an important step in strengthening US defense capabilities and ensuring stable access to space for critical national missions.
Source: https://spacenews.com/space-force-certifies-vulcan-for-national-security-launches/