ULA Plans Vulcan Rocket Upgrade to Compete with SpaceX in LEO Market

Published 5 hours agoBA

ULA Plans Vulcan Rocket Upgrade to Compete with SpaceX in LEO Market

United Launch Alliance (ULA), a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is setting its sights on upgrading its Vulcan rocket to better compete with SpaceX's Starship, particularly in the lucrative low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite launch sector. This move comes amidst SpaceX's growing dominance in the market through its frequent Starlink satellite launches.

As part of the upgrade plan, ULA is focusing on enhancing the Vulcan rocket's payload capacity. Reuters reported that the upgrade strategy includes a 'Vulcan Heavy' model, which features three core boosters designed to significantly boost the mass the rocket can carry into LEO. Additionally, the U.S. Space Force's certification of the Vulcan rocket in March 2025 for national security satellite launches positions ULA as a viable competitor alongside SpaceX, being only the second company authorized for such missions.

Despite these advancements, ULA faces stiff competition as it enters a competitive marketplace dominated by SpaceX. SpaceX has not only maintained a strong presence in the commercial satellite sector but has also secured a substantial portion of multibillion-dollar National Security Space Launch contracts. With a competitive landscape shaping up, ULA's strategic upgrades to the Vulcan rocket aim to carve out a larger role in the defense and commercial satellite launching fields.

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