ULA – Spaceflight Now

ULA launches Vulcan rocket on first Space Force mission

August 13, 2025 William Harwood

Equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters for additional takeoff power, the 198-foot-tall Vulcan’s two methane-fueled BE-4 engines thundered to life at 8:56p.m. EDT, instantly propelling the rocket away from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Launch preview: ULA to launch first national security mission on a Vulcan rocket

August 12, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission, dubbed USSF-106, will be the first Vulcan rocket launch since the vehicle was certified by the United States Space Force in late March. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is schedule for 7:59 p.m. EDT (2359 UTC).

Amazon says $139.5 million investment in Florida is key to ramping up launch cadence with Project Kuiper

July 24, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The tech giant launched three batches of its satellites on two different rockets in less than three months. It said the next slate of Kuiper satellites is prepared to launch now, but didn’t state when that’s expected to happen.

ULA begins stacking its 1st Vulcan rocket supporting a national security mission

July 3, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

This is the second time the rocket is being prepared for launch following a months long delay in certifying the launch vehicle. ULA hasn’t announced a specific launch date, but it’s expected sometime this summer.

ULA launches Kuiper 2 mission on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral

June 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The 27 Kuiper satellites will head to low Earth orbit on an Atlas 5 rocket flying in a 551 configuration, using five solid rocket boosters. ULA launched its rocket at 6:54 a.m. EDT (1054 UTC) on Monday, June 23.

Atlas 5 booster engine issue causes scrub of Monday’s Kuiper 2 launch

June 15, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The 27 Kuiper satellites will head to low Earth orbit on an Atlas 5 rocket flying in a 551 configuration, using five solid rocket boosters. ULA has not announced a new launch date following the scrub.

ULA launches first production Amazon Kuiper satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral

April 28, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The rescheduled mission comes following the April 9 scrub due to poor weather and a period on the Eastern Range marked by a noted lack of orbital launches. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is targeting Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC).

Poor weather forces a scrub of the Kuiper 1 launch on a ULA Atlas 5

April 9, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission will be the first deployment of full production Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit. ULA is determining their next launch opportunity following the scrub Wednesday evening.

SpaceX to launch second accelerated GPS 3 satellite mission in late May

April 8, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

This mission follows a similar model of processing used during the Rapid Response Trailblazer (RRT-1) mission, which saw the launch of the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 07 (SV-07) spacecraft on a Falcon 9 instead of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket as originally planned.

U.S. Space Force awards $13.7 billion in new national security launch contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA

April 5, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The 54 national security missions will be awarded over the course of five years spanning FY25-FY29. The U.S. Space Force said missions are anticipated to fly from FY27-FY32.