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.
United Launch Alliance received a $467,500,000 Launch Vehicle Production Services contract covering three Delta 4 Heavy missions for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Funds for the three Delta 4 Heavy missions had previously been committed to ULA under an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Phase 1 block buy negotiated in 2013 for 36 cores.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded United Launch Alliance a $156,700,000 contract modification on 2019-08-07 for a Delta 4 Heavy launch of the National Reconnaissance Office mission NROL-70.
The value of ULA’s contract for three Delta 4 Heavy launches represents about half of the total government cost to launch the NRO missions because launches are funded through multiple contracting vehicles.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket scheduled to launch a $1,100,000,000 military communications satellite will carry an experimental cubesat as a rideshare payload on the Centaur upper stage.
Tory Bruno, president and chief executive of United Launch Alliance, tweeted on 2019-07-19 linking to ULA’s 2019-07-19 letter and praising the FAA for increasing flexibility while maintaining public safety.
On 2019-07-11, United Launch Alliance rescheduled the Atlas 5 launch of the Air Force Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite planned for 2019-07-17 until no earlier than 2019-08-08.
On 2019-07-17, United Launch Alliance delayed the Delta 4 launch of an Air Force GPS satellite originally scheduled for 2019-07-25 until at least 2019-08-22.
United Launch Alliance and Northrop Grumman have aligned themselves with the Air Force position on Phase 2, SpaceX supports retaining the $500,000,000 fund, and Blue Origin supports the provision to allow more competitors in Phase 2 after 29 launches.
The U.S. Air Force will select two providers next year from a field that includes Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and ULA for NSSL Phase 2.
United Launch Alliance is leasing SLC-6 for Delta IV Heavy launches at least until 2024.
United Launch Alliance intends to continue opposing the provision to open the Phase 2 competition after 29 launches.
Industry sources said RUAG declined to sell a 5.4-meter composite fairing to SpaceX because the fairing design was partially funded by ULA and is technically ULA's intellectual property.
In October 2018 the Air Force awarded $3,200,000,000 in Launch Service Agreement contracts to United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman.
SBIRS GEO-4 launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 2018-01-20 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket.
United Launch Alliance would be permitted to offer Atlas 5 or Delta 4 Heavy as a secondary launch vehicle if Vulcan is not ready for launches ordered before 2021-09-30.
In 2016 the Air Force awarded $242,000,000 in cost-sharing R&D contracts to SpaceX, Orbital ATK (later Northrop Grumman), ULA and Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop rocket propulsion technology.
EELV Phase 1 was awarded to ULA in 2013 and funded ULA’s capability to launch military payloads through 2019.
In October 2018 the Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreements that provided $2,300,000,000 to ULA, Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin to support development of next-generation rockets and infrastructure.
United Launch Alliance had 10 national security launches on Atlas 5’s manifest for 2019–2022.