United Launch Alliance (ULA), a collaboration between aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is set to upgrade its Vulcan rocket. The initiative aims to strengthen ULA's position against SpaceX's Starship in the competitive low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite launch sector. This strategic move by ULA comes amid the rapidly growing demand in the LEO market, largely influenced by SpaceX's significant deployment of Starlink satellites.
According to Reuters, the planned upgrades for the Vulcan rocket include modifications to increase its payload capacity to LEO. A notable configuration on the table is the "Vulcan Heavy," featuring three core boosters to boost mass-to-LEO capabilities. Such advancements would align ULA's offerings closer to the performance of SpaceX's current Falcon 9 rocket.
In a related development, the U.S. Space Force certified ULA's Vulcan rocket in March 2025 for launching national security satellites, underscoring its strategic importance. Additionally, an April 2025 award by the U.S. Space Force allocated $13.5 billion in contracts for national security launches among key players, including SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin. This highlights ULA's prominence in the aerospace industry and its ongoing efforts to remain competitive.