United Launch Alliance (ULA) is an American launch service provider, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. As a launch provider, ULA designs, assembles, sells, and launches rockets like the Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur, providing access to space for national security payloads, commercial satellites, and deep-space exploration missions. Its primary customers include the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial entities. Key activities involve launch services, rocket development, and partnerships with organizations like NASA and ESA for various space missions.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
ULA plans to retire the Delta 4 Heavy and replace it with the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
The U.S. Air Force awarded ULA a contract in May 2019 to launch NROL-68.
The final Delta IV Heavy is scheduled to launch in 2024 as United Launch Alliance transitions its future missions from the East and West Coasts to the Vulcan rocket.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-68 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office launched on 2023-06-22 at 5:18 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
ULA's 2023-06-22 launch was the company's second attempt after the mission was delayed from 2023-06-21 due to an issue with a ground systems pneumatic valve.
ULA is under contract to launch one more National Reconnaissance Office satellite on the Delta 4 Heavy in 2024 from Cape Canaveral.
NROL-64 will launch aboard United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket from the Eastern range.
Under the 2020 NSSL Phase 2 awards, ULA won 60 percent of the missions and SpaceX won 40 percent of the missions.
USSF-114 is a classified mission that will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from the Western range.
The Space Systems Command’s program executive office for assured access to space awarded ULA and SpaceX five-year NSSL Phase 2 contracts in 2020 to launch as many as 40 missions.
NROL-83 will launch aboard United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket from the Western range.
On 2023-06-07, United Launch Alliance completed a Vulcan Centaur static-fire test, one of the final milestones before the vehicle’s first launch.
On 2023-06-08, the U.S. Space Force launch procurement office assigned an additional 12 missions to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contract.
United Launch Alliance was awarded six NSSL missions: NROL-64, NROL-83, GPS III-08, SDA T1TR-B, SDA T1TR-D, and USSF-114.
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket has not yet performed its first flight, making a ULA NSSL Phase 2 launch later 2023 appear unlikely.
The SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer launches will use United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan and SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets from the Western range into polar orbit.
United Launch Alliance planned to carry out the Flight Readiness Firing on 2023-05-25 but called off the test several hours in advance after detecting a delayed response in the booster ignition system.
United Launch Alliance must coordinate the Cert-1 launch schedule around other Atlas launches at the pad.
United Launch Alliance successfully conducted a booster engine flight readiness firing on 2023-06-07 at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
During the countdown on 2023-05-25, ULA's team observed a delayed response from the Vulcan booster engine ignition system that requires further review.