United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s long-awaited new rocket is set to launch for the first time ever. But can this vehicle establish itself in the competitive launch market?
of vulcan centaur Planned release from Florida Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Early Monday morning (January 8th). It will be carried by the civilian Peregrine lunar lander, which is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) initiative and is manufactured by the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic.
The release itself is a big event.It may lead to your first private success. Month landing. Conversely, it could cast a shadow on NASA’s moon program and astrobots, leading to further delays and questions about Vulcan Centaur. The debut launch also requires unusual demands. In addition to reaching orbit, the rocket must initiate and execute an injection burn past the moon on the Centaur upper stage.
Related: Facts about ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Rocket
Furthermore, this launch marks a crossroads for ULA. The company once held a dominant position in the U.S. launch market, and is particularly notable for its high reliability. Atlas V rocket. However, over the past ten years, space x And its reusable Falcon rocket revolutionized the launch industry. Last year, SpaceX conducted a total of 98 launches. 109 orbital launch attempts From all over America.
Another sign of changing times is that ULA’s famous Delta IV Heavy There is only one more launch scheduled for this spring. The company’s transition to the next generation of rockets began several years ago, but the path to the pad has not been smooth for Vulcan Centaur. There have been many delays, including delays in the supply of the BE-4 first stage engine. blue origin, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company.An explosion occurred during a test of the rocket’s upper stage in March last year. undo first flight again.
Despite the delays, orders for Vulcan appear to be on track, and there will be a lot of work ahead once the rocket is able to fly.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in a call with reporters on Nov. 15 that Vulcan has 70 aircraft on its backlog for government and commercial customers. The first challenge is to overcome the Cert 1 launch on January 8 and send Peregrine to the moon. If Cert 1 is successful, ULA will need to begin ramping up rocket production to enable twice-monthly launches by the end of 2025.
Beyond this, ULA has a development roadmap to adapt and upgrade Vulcan Centaur. The rocket is now optimized for high-energy orbits, with a powerful first stage almost fully carrying his Centaur upper stage and payload. low earth orbit (Leo). But for launching satellites in constellations like Amazon’s Kuiper Broadband Network, a smaller, less powerful upper stage can actually accommodate more payload mass, so more satellites can be deployed in LEO per mission. It will be possible.
ULA is also working to make the Vulcan first stage recoverable, and plans to reuse its variable thrust BE-4 engine. The company also works with NASA to inflatable hypersonic heat shield As part of our reuse efforts.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing, and there are challenges in the more mundane and hidden aspects of launch. Bruno noted that increasing launch rates and shifting responsibility for range management from the government to launch providers has complicated the management of launch infrastructure at both Cape Canaveral and California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. did. Preparing for a launch also involves planning and scheduling complexities, including integrating new technology and coordinating with various stakeholders.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling around ULA that owners Lockheed Martin and Boeing have put the company up for sale. ars technica The Wall Street Journal reported in November that the company was close to selecting a buyer. report In late December, the company received a takeover offer from Blue Origin and others.
Asked in November about a possible sale, Bruno said ULA was in “a very good position after its transformation, with a commercial market presence, which has been going on for many years now, that is not fully present.” “The company is in very good shape.”
The first Vulcan Centaur is sitting on the launch pad, but the company’s immediate future is still up in the air. The outcome of the launch may affect the progress and terms of the sale.
But ULA’s CEO remains openly optimistic about the mission. “This is the end of a multi-year long journey for us,” Bruno said. “We are very excited.”
The launch is scheduled for Monday at 2:18 a.m. ET (7:18 p.m. Japan time). You can watch it live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
