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.
On 2018-10-10, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center allocated up to $967,000,000 to ULA to develop the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
The United Launch Alliance joint venture began operating as a monopoly in 2006 after Boeing’s Delta and Lockheed’s Atlas merged their government launch operations.
Congress amended the language in 2016 to avoid prematurely sidelining ULA’s Atlas 5, which uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine for its main stage.
The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act limited the number of additional RD-180 engines ULA could order on the Air Force’s behalf to 18.
In 2016 the Air Force awarded roughly $1,000,000,000 in Other Transaction Authority research-and-development contracts to ULA, SpaceX, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems), and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
United Launch Alliance expects the Vulcan Centaur first launch no sooner than mid-2020.
The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act set a 2022-12-31 end date for awarding national security launch contracts to ULA for RD-180-powered Atlas 5 launches.
The U.S. Air Force awarded contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and United Launch Alliance to further develop their launch vehicles so they can meet national security requirements that include flying to nine different orbits.
United Launch Alliance declared the AEHF-4 satellite deployed into space at 3:47 a.m.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket configured with five strap-on solid rocket boosters launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:15 a.m. EST on a Wednesday.
United Launch Alliance and SpaceX will compete one mission at a time under EELV phase 1(a) procurements until the Air Force starts buying launch services from new competitors.
United Launch Alliance remains under contract for EELV phase 1 missions that were awarded to the company in 2006 and will finish a small handful of those missions next year.
Delta 2 was originally built by McDonnell Douglas based on Douglas Aircraft Company’s Delta rocket and was later produced by Boeing and United Launch Alliance.
The AEHF-4 satellite launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Launch Service Agreement (LSA) program was started in 2015 to nurture domestic launch providers as the Air Force faces a 2022 deadline to stop using Russian RD-180 engines that power ULA’s Atlas V rocket.
The Air Force awarded United Launch Alliance $967,000,000 in LSA funding to develop the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
The Air Force has committed through 2024 a total of $967,000,000 in OTA funds for United Launch Alliance.
The U.S. Air Force awarded three contracts collectively worth about $2,000,000,000 to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, and United Launch Alliance to develop launch system prototypes.
By 2022, ULA will no longer be able to use Atlas V rockets powered by the Russian RD-180 engine to fly military satellites.
The U.S. Defense Department regularly pays more than commercial satellite operators to launch military payloads on rockets from United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.