3 minute read•Updated 11:56 AM EDT, Sun March 30, 2025
The U.S. Space Force has officially certified United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket to perform critical national security missions, a major milestone that adds a powerful new option for launching the nation's most sensitive space assets.
The announcement from the Space Systems Command (SSC), which confirmed that the rocket met all required performance and safety standards after months of rigorous review. The certification follows two demonstration flights of Vulcan in January and October of 2024, as well as an exhaustive evaluation of its development, manufacturing, and flight history.
“Assured access to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical element of national security...Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency and flexibility needed by our nation’s most critical space-based systems.” - Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space at SSC.
The certification grants ULA the authority to compete for and execute launches under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, joining SpaceX as the only two launch providers currently cleared for those missions.
Delayed but Delivered: Overcoming Cert-2 Setback
Certification of Vulcan was initially expected shortly after its debut flight in January 2024. However, the process was delayed due to an anomaly during the second certification mission (Cert-2) in October.
Approximately 30 seconds after liftoff, one of Vulcan’s two solid rocket booster nozzles detached mid-flight due to a manufacturing defect in an internal insulator component.
Despite the hardware loss and reduced thrust, the rocket’s guidance system adjusted in real time, and the mission successfully reached its intended orbit—an impressive feat that demonstrated the rocket’s design resilience.
The defect was traced to a specific insulator material used inside the nozzle. Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the boosters, implemented corrective actions that were verified through a successful static-fire test in February at its Utah facility.
What's Next for Vulcan
With certification in hand, Vulcan is now cleared to begin carrying national security payloads.
According to Space Systems Command, the first NSSL launch using Vulcan is targeted for summer 2025. ULA has confirmed that the first missions will be USSF-106 and USSF-87, though no firm launch dates have been provided.
ULA’s 2025 Manifest: A Mix of Legacy and New Hardware
ULA is planning approximately 12 launches in 2025, split between its outgoing Atlas V and new Vulcan Centaur vehicles, with a balanced mix of commercial and government missions.
The next launch on ULA’s manifest will be an Atlas V carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband satellites, potentially lifting off as soon as April. That will be followed by the anticipated national security missions on Vulcan later in the year.
To meet demand and maintain cadence, the company has stockpiled key hardware components, including BE-4 engines(built by Blue Origin) and additional solid rocket boosters.
“We’re all staged up and ready, and as spacecraft show up, we’ll be able to fly them...We want to establish a baseline tempo of two launches a month by the end of this year and scale to 20 launches in 2026.” - Tory Bruno, ULA CEO
