ULA Plans Vulcan Rocket Upgrade to Compete with SpaceX

Published 3 hours agoLMT

ULA Plans Vulcan Rocket Upgrade to Compete with SpaceX

United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture supported by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is gearing up to enhance its Vulcan rocket to better compete with SpaceX's Starship. The upgrade strategy is part of ULA's plan to capture a larger share of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite launch market, particularly in response to the rising demand generated by SpaceX's Starlink Internet service.

Key enhancements in the Vulcan upgrade include increasing its mass-to-LEO capabilities. This could potentially involve creating a version known as "Vulcan Heavy," equipped with three core boosters to significantly boost its payload capacity. This strategic move follows the recent certification of the Vulcan rocket by the U.S. Space Force in March 2025, which allows it to launch national security satellites, marking a key achievement for ULA.

The proposed modifications to the Vulcan rocket are seen as ULA's answer to the competitive challenge posed by SpaceX's versatile Starship, which is not only designed for ambitious crewed missions to the moon and Mars but also adept at launching large batches of Starlink satellites. Reuters reported that this upgrade is part of ULA's efforts to expand its footprint in the commercial satellite market, aligning with planned missions for Amazon's Kuiper satellites and other commercial clients.

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