ULA Plans Major Upgrades for Vulcan Rocket

Published 10 hours agoLMT

ULA Plans Major Upgrades for Vulcan Rocket

United Launch Alliance (ULA), the joint operation of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is making significant enhancements to its Vulcan rocket to strengthen its position in the competitive low Earth orbit satellite launch market, which is presently dominated by SpaceX's Starship. ULA is considering a 'Vulcan Heavy' configuration that would involve combining three Vulcan core boosters to increase the payload capacity, according to Reuters.

In addition to the potential 'Vulcan Heavy' variant, ULA is exploring unique propulsion system configurations by placing them in non-traditional locations. These efforts aim to boost the Vulcan rocket's performance and adaptability further. Meanwhile, ULA's Vulcan received a significant endorsement from the U.S. Space Force in March 2025 when it was awarded clearance to launch national security satellites, marking an important step in its development.

These strategic upgrades and achievements highlight ULA's commitment to making the Vulcan a viable alternative to SpaceX's products. With upcoming missions that include launches for Amazon's Kuiper internet satellites, ULA is positioning itself as a significant player in the commercial satellite launch market.

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