United Launch Alliance – Spaceflight Now

Boeing delays first Starliner test flight to August, NASA extends duration of first crew mission

April 2, 2019

Boeing said Tuesday the first orbital test flight of its commercial crew capsule, named the Starliner, will be delayed until August “in order to avoid unnecessary schedule pressure” and give priority on the Atlas 5 rocket’s manifest to a U.S. Air Force communications satellite. NASA confirmed Wednesday that officials have approved an extension of the Starliner’s first crewed mission to last up to several months.

Photos: Delta 4 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral

March 20, 2019

A hydrogen-fueled main engine and four solid rocket boosters combined to propel a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket off its launch pad at Cape Canaveral on March 15, successfully sending a U.S. Air Force communications satellite into orbit.

Delta 4 rocket launches Air Force’s 10th WGS broadband satellite

March 16, 2019

United Launch Alliance placed a new satellite in orbit with a fiery Friday night blastoff from Cape Canaveral, using a version of the Delta 4 rocket that is nearing retirement to supplement a U.S. military network relaying signals from drones and battlefield commanders.

Delta 4 rocket’s launch timeline with WGS 10

March 15, 2019

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will deliver the U.S. Air Force’s tenth Wideband Global SATCOM communications satellite to a supersynchronous transfer orbit around 37 minutes after lifting off from Cape Canaveral.

Photos: Mobile gantry retracted at Delta 4 launch pad

March 15, 2019

hese photos show the 330-foot-tall mobile service tower moving into position for liftoff of a Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37B launch pad Friday.

Live coverage: Delta 4 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral

March 15, 2019

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 8:26 p.m. EDT Friday (0026 GMT Saturday) with the U.S. Air Force’s tenth Wideband Global SATCOM satellite, extending the reach of the military’s highest-capacity satellite communications network.

ULA plans to ring in the weekend with Friday evening launch

March 13, 2019

United Launch Alliance ground crews are putting the final touches on a Delta 4 rocket scheduled for blastoff Friday evening from Cape Canaveral with a U.S. Air Force communications satellite.

Facing more delays, NASA opens door to launching lunar mission with commercial rockets

March 13, 2019

In a major shift, NASA is considering using two commercial launchers to send an unpiloted Orion crew capsule and its European-built service module on a test flight around the moon next year, maintaining the lunar test flight’s schedule despite fresh delays in the development of the multibillion-dollar Space Launch System that jeopardize the heavy-lifter’s 2020 inaugural flight, the agency’s administrator said in a congressional hearing Wednesday.

SpaceX, ULA win military contracts, Air Force renames EELV program

March 7, 2019

United Launch Alliance and SpaceX recently won contracts worth $739 million to send six missions into orbit for the U.S. military, and the Air Force has announced a new title for its flagship launcher program, dropping “expendable” from the name in a new era of reusable rockets.

Military satellite joined with Delta 4 rocket at Cape Canaveral

March 2, 2019

The addition of a U.S. Air Force communications satellite has capped the assembly of a 218-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket at Cape Canaveral set for liftoff the evening of March 13.