United Launch Alliance

Overview

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture formed in 2006 by Lockheed Martin and Boeing to provide launch services for U.S. national security, civil government, and commercial customers. The company combines the heritage of the Delta and Atlas launch vehicle families, which together supported critical missions including GPS satellites, planetary exploration, and intelligence assets. ULA has maintained a near-perfect mission success record across more than 150 launches.

For nearly two decades, ULA operated the Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy rockets, establishing a reputation for reliability in the most demanding government missions. The company is now transitioning to its next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket, which completed certification for national security missions in 2025 and is designed to provide cost-competitive access to space while maintaining ULA's heritage of mission assurance.

ULA holds contracts under the U.S. Space Force's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program and serves commercial customers including Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite constellation. The company is scaling production to reach a sustained launch cadence of 20-25 missions annually by 2026, while simultaneously phasing out the Atlas V. ULA is also investing in reusability technologies, focusing on recovering and refurbishing the Vulcan rocket's engine section to reduce operational costs.

Vulcan Centaur

Vulcan Centaur is ULA's next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle, powered by Blue Origin BE-4 engines. The rocket combines modern manufacturing techniques with proven flight heritage from Centaur upper stage technology. Payload to GTO: ~27,200 kg (6-SRB configuration). Payload to LEO: ~28,000 kg. First flight: January 8, 2024 (Cert-1 mission). The rocket achieved U.S. Space Force certification in 2025 following successful demonstration flights. Vulcan is designed with future engine recovery and reuse in mind, with ULA actively developing systems to capture and refurbish the booster's engine section. Vulcan has flown four missions total (January 2024, October 2024, August 2025, February 2026). Following a solid rocket booster nozzle burn-through anomaly on the USSF-87 mission (February 12, 2026), the U.S. Space Force paused further NSSL Vulcan launches pending investigation; as of mid-2026 no return-to-flight date has been announced, with resumption expected by late 2026.

Atlas V

Developed by Lockheed Martin and transferred to ULA in 2006, Atlas V served as the company's workhorse for two decades. Payload to GTO: ~8,900 kg (551 configuration). Payload to LEO: ~18,850 kg. First flight: August 21, 2002. Missions completed: 110 as of July 2026. The rocket utilized Russian-built RD-180 engines and featured multiple configurations with 0-5 solid rocket boosters and varying payload fairing sizes. Atlas V flew its final satellite mission on July 2, 2026 (Amazon Leo/Kuiper), concluding its 24-year, 110-launch career as a satellite launcher. The remaining Atlas V vehicles are reserved exclusively for crewed Boeing Starliner missions.

Delta IV Heavy

Delta IV Heavy was ULA's largest rocket, configured with three Common Booster Cores powered by RS-68A engines. The vehicle specialized in direct-injection missions for national security payloads. Payload to GTO: ~14,200 kg. Payload to LEO: ~28,790 kg. The rocket completed its final mission in 2024, concluding the Delta family's six-decade operational history.

Heritage

2006: ULA formed as joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, combining Delta and Atlas launch vehicle programs.

2006-2024: Atlas V completed 106 missions with a near-perfect success record, supporting critical payloads including Mars rovers (Curiosity, Perseverance), the New Horizons Pluto mission, Solar Probe Parker, and numerous national security satellites.

2024: Delta IV Heavy retired after final national security mission, ending the Delta family's operational service that began in 1960.

January 8, 2024: Vulcan Centaur conducted successful maiden flight (Cert-1 mission) carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander.

August 2025: Vulcan launched USSF-106, its first U.S. Space Force-certified national security mission, demonstrating readiness for NSSL operations.

December 2025: CEO Tory Bruno, who led ULA since 2014, resigned. The company entered an interim leadership phase.

2024-2025: ULA launched multiple Atlas V missions for Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation, deploying hundreds of broadband satellites.

April 2025: IAM union members ratified new four-year contract, concluding negotiations covering ULA's workforce.

February 12, 2026: Vulcan launched USSF-87 but suffered a solid rocket booster nozzle burn-through anomaly; the U.S. Space Force paused further NSSL Vulcan launches pending investigation.

July 2, 2026: Atlas V flew its 110th and final mission (Amazon Leo/Kuiper), concluding its satellite-launch career after 24 years; the six remaining Atlas V vehicles are reserved exclusively for crewed Starliner missions.

Roadmap

ULA is executing a transition from Atlas V to Vulcan Centaur as its primary launch vehicle, with plans to reach a sustained launch rate of 20-25 missions annually — though this ramp-up has been delayed by a Space Force-ordered pause on NSSL Vulcan launches following the February 2026 USSF-87 booster anomaly, with return to flight expected by late 2026. The company forecasted nine launches in 2025 and aims to achieve a two-per-month cadence through 2026 and beyond.

The Vulcan manifest includes multiple U.S. Space Force National Security Space Launch missions under the NSSL Phase 2 contract, as well as commercial customers. AST SpaceMobile announced in May 2026 it may utilize Vulcan for future satellite deployments.

ULA is actively developing engine recovery and reusability systems for Vulcan's booster section, with the goal of capturing and refurbishing BE-4 engines to reduce launch costs. The company is expanding ground infrastructure at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base to support increased flight rates.