posted 01-04-2024 03:48 PM               

Launch Readiness Review completed

The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) is GO for Monday's (Jan. 8) liftoff of the inaugural United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket on the Certification-1 (Cert-1) flight test.

Liftoff is scheduled for 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The LRR, led by ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III, was completed this morning at the Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC).

Leadership from ULA, the customers and the Space Force assessed the readiness of the rocket, payload and mission assets, discussed the status of pre-flight processing work, heard technical overviews of the countdown and flight, and previewed the weather forecast that projects an 85 percent chance of meeting the launch rules.

At the conclusion of the meeting, senior leaders were polled and gave a ready status for launch, then signed the Launch Readiness Certificate.

The Vulcan VC2S rocket, designated V-001, stands 202 feet (61.6 meters) tall and will launch the Astrobotic Peregrine lunar lander under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and carry a Celestis Memorial Spaceflight Payload into deep space.

posted 01-05-2024 06:33 PM               

On the pad!

The inaugural Vulcan has arrived at its Cape Canaveral pad for Monday's (Jan. 8) Certification-1 launch to begin a new era in American access to space.

The Vulcan Launch Platform (VLP) was lowered onto the launch pad piers, accomplishing the "harddown" milestone at 11:33 a.m. EST on Friday (Jan. 5).

Over the next few hours, umbilical connections were made with launch pad systems, the environmental control system feeding conditioned air to the rocket and payload were switched to facility supplies to allow the portable trailers used during rollout to be unplugged and moved away.

The launch countdown will begin Sunday afternoon, leading to a liftoff on Monday at 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 UTC).

posted 01-07-2024 07:20 PM               

Countdown holding

This is Vulcan Launch Control at T-minus 4 hours, 30 minutes (L-6 hours) and holding. The countdown has entered the first of two planned, built-in holds amounting to 90 minutes that are scheduled in today's timeline. This first block of time ensures all steps in the procedure prior to cryogenic propellant loading are complete and satisfactory before the start of tanking.

The final hold occurs at T-minus 7 minutes before the start of Terminal Count.

At the present time, all activities are on schedule and no problems are being addressed by the launch team. A few minutes before the end of this hold, the launch director and the launch conductor readiness polls will be performed of the team to ensure all systems are ready to proceed with cryo operations.

posted 01-07-2024 07:51 PM               

Countdown resumes

This is Vulcan Launch Control at T-minus 4 hours, 30 minutes (L-5 hours, 30 minutes) and counting. The next phase of today's launch countdown has started on schedule as we continue to target 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 UTC) for liftoff of the Certification-1 mission.

The pad's liquid oxygen storage tank for the Centaur V upper stage is being pressurized to chilldown levels as preparatory steps for fueling are being kicked off.

Soon, the airborne vent valves will be cycled, helium bottle charging to flight level will be completed, along with pressurization of the Vulcan LNG pad storage tank to chilldown levels.

The Vulcan rocket will be loaded with approximately a million pounds (454,000 kg) of liquid propellant.

All systems are "go" as we count down to today's Vulcan launch at 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41.

posted 01-08-2024 12:13 AM               

Countdown holding

T-minus 7 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered the planned 60-minute built-in hold designed to give a bit of margin to ensure we are ready for Terminal Count and today's launch window. During this pause, the final readiness polls of the launch team and management members will be performed.

To recap tonight's countdown so far, the "go" for tanking was given at 8:46 p.m,, two minutes before the countdown resumed from the pre-fueling hold at T-minus 4 hours, 30 minutes. The Vulcan launch team initiated chilldown and then filling of the vehicle with more than a million pounds of cryogenic propellant.

The tanks are full and being replenished as we continue toward our launch opportunity of the Cert-1 mission today. We remain on schedule for a liftoff at 2:18:38 a.m. EST (0718:38 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral.

posted 01-08-2024 01:10 AM               

GO for Launch!

The Vulcan control teams and ULA leadership in Denver and Cape Canaveral have voiced unanimous readiness to proceed! The ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III has given final permission to launch.

The pronouncement was made following the readiness poll of the launch team by Launch Conductor Dillon Rice that verified all systems are "go" to resume the countdown.

We are targeting a liftoff at 2:18:38 a.m. EST (0718:38 UTC).

posted 01-08-2024 01:12 AM               

T-minus 7 minutes and counting

The final phase of today's countdown is underway at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the maiden launch the United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket.

The Terminal Count will prepare, pressurize and arm the launch vehicle for today's mission carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine mission to the Moon for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

posted 01-08-2024 01:18 AM               

First launch of ULA Vulcan rocket sends Astrobotic lander to moon

The first launch of a next generation U.S. commercial rocket has sent a small lander on its way to possibly becoming the first private spacecraft to touch down on the moon.

United Launch Alliance (ULA), which since its founding in 2006 has operated the Atlas and Delta family of rockets inherited from its parent companies of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, introduced its first new rocket, the Vulcan, which will replace both legacy vehicles. The Vulcan's maiden launch on Monday (Jan. 8) carried two payloads: Astrobotic's Peregrine moon lander and Celestis Memorial Spaceflights' "Enterprise" mission headed for a heliocentric orbit.

posted 01-08-2024 05:02 AM               

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches First Next Generation Vulcan Rocket

The inaugural launch marks the beginning of an exciting new era for ULA

United Launch Alliance (ULA) marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its next generation Vulcan rocket on Jan. 8 at 2:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Vulcan provides industry-leading capabilities to deliver any payload, at any time, to any orbit.

"Vulcan's inaugural launch ushers in a new, innovative capability to meet the ever-growing requirements of space launch," said Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "Vulcan will provide high performance and affordability while continuing to deliver our superior reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets. Vulcan continues the legacy of Atlas as the world's only high-energy architecture rocket."

Vulcan will leverage the world's highest-performing upper stage to deliver on ULA's industry-leading legacy of reliability and precision. Centaur V's matchless flexibility and extreme endurance enables the most complex orbital insertions within the most challenging and clandestine orbits.

"The successful development and flight of this evolutionary rocket is a true testament to the unrivaled dedication and ingenuity of our workforce," said Mark Peller, vice president of Vulcan Development. "Vulcan's purpose-built design leverages the best of what we've learned from more than 120 combined years of launch experience with Atlas and Delta, ultimately advancing our nation's space capability and providing unprecedented mission flexibility."

The first certification flight (Cert-1) mission included two payloads: Astrobotic's first Peregrine Lunar Lander, Peregrine Mission One (PM1), as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface, and the Celestis Memorial Spaceflights deep space Voyager mission, the Enterprise Flight.

The Cert-1 mission served as the first of two certification flights required for the U.S. Space Force's certification process. The second certification mission (Cert-2) is planned to launch in the coming months, followed by a summer launch of the first Vulcan mission to support national security space.

"As we build on today's successful launch, the team will continue to work towards our future bi-weekly launch rate to meet our customers' manifest requirements, while continuing to develop future Vulcan upgrades including SMART reuse plans for downrange, non-propulsive recovery of Vulcan engines," said Bruno.

ULA has sold more than 70 Vulcan launches to date, including 38 missions for Amazon's Project Kuiper and multiple national security space launch missions as the part of the country's Phase 2 launch procurement.