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.
In Phase 2 the Air Force will select two launch providers from a field of four competitors that includes United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman.
United Launch Alliance received $967,000,000 in Air Force funding to help defray the expense of meeting the government’s unique launch requirements.
SpaceX filed a protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on 2019-05-17 over the Air Force’s 2019-10-10 decision to provide funding to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and ULA but not to SpaceX.
One goal of the NSSL program is to develop domestic rockets so the Air Force can stop launching satellites on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket powered by the Russian RD-180 engine.
United Launch Alliance selected Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine in September 2018 rather than Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1 to power the first stage of its Vulcan rocket.
The Air Force awarded $2,200,000,000 in Launch Service Agreement funding to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and United Launch Alliance in 2018.
United Launch Alliance plans to phase out the Delta 4 Heavy around the time the Europa Clipper is expected to launch.
AeroCube 7 launched as a secondary payload on a ULA Atlas V rocket that carried a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite.
United Launch Alliance took over Delta launches in 2006 when it formed as a joint venture of Boeing’s and Lockheed Martin’s launcher businesses.
United Launch Alliance expected the first Vulcan Centaur launch to take place in the spring of 2021.
Astrobotic announced an agreement with ULA in July 2017 for Peregrine to launch as a secondary payload on an Atlas V in 2019.
Congress mandated that United Launch Alliance stop using the Russian-supplied RD-180 engine on national security launches by 2022.
Astrobotic will launch its Peregrine lander on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket as a payload on the first Vulcan Centaur launch in 2021.
United Launch Alliance completed the final launch of a Delta 4 Medium on 2019-08-22, sending a GPS-3 satellite into medium Earth orbit for the U.S. Air Force.
The GPS-3 satellite launched on ULA’s final Delta 4 Medium was the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS-3 spacecraft.
United Launch Alliance plans the first flight of the Vulcan rocket in April 2021.
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 Medium has launched 28 times and its 29th and final mission will carry the Air Force’s second GPS-3 satellite on 2020-08-22.
Under a 2018 Launch Vehicle Production Services contract, United Launch Alliance is building Delta 4 Heavy hardware for three National Reconnaissance Office missions and the contract is now worth $467,500,000 after a $149,000,000 modification in May 2020 and a $156,700,000 modification earlier in August 2020.
United Launch Alliance will continue to fly the Delta 4 Heavy through late 2023 for payloads that require its capability and mission assurance.
United Launch Alliance has two Delta 4 Heavy launches scheduled in late 2022 and a final Delta 4 Heavy launch targeting 2023.