After the recent launch of the Atlas rocket 5 United Launch Alliance company (ULA) began preparations for the third flight of the Vulcan rocket. 3 in July, the company officially moved the main stage of the rocket to the vertical assembly complex at the US Space Force base in Florida - this is the first step towards the launch of the USSF-106 mission.
This is the second time, it is this copy of the Vulcan rocket that is being prepared for launch. Previous attempt in October 2023 2010 was disrupted due to a problem with the GEM 63XL solid propellant accelerator, which did not prevent the removal of the payload, but required additional investigation and delayed the missile's certification.
In February 2024 ULA decided to transfer the Kuiper launch sequence from Amazon, so as not to delay their mission due to the refinement of the missile for the US Air Force. In March, the Space Force officially certified the Vulcan for launches under the National Security Space Launch program (NSSL).
The USSF-106 launch will include at least one known satellite — Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), developed by L3Harris Technologies on the ESPAStar platform from Northrop Grumman. The satellite will perform over 100 experiments, aimed at solving the problems of navigation in the conditions of electronic warfare. It also carries on board atomic clocks and the Chimera system for enhanced protection against spoofed GPS signals.
After USSF-106, ULA will launch the USSF-87 mission, which includes two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites (GSSAP), that help track objects in geostationary orbit.
ULA plans 11-13 launches by the end of the year, alternating missions using Atlas and Vulcan rockets. This will free up the launch schedule and support new national security programs.