Vulcan

Also known as Vulcan rocket, Vulcan Centaur, Vulcan ACES, Next Generation Launch System, NGLS

United Launch Alliance launch vehicle

Key facts

Function: Heavy-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer: United Launch Alliance
Country of origin: United States
Cost per launch: US$110 million (starting)
Height: With standard length payload fairing</span>"}]]}'>Standard : 61.6 m (202 ft), With long payload fairing</span>"}]]}'>Long : 67.3 m (221 ft)
Diameter: 5.4 m (18 ft)
Mass: 546,700 kg (1,205,300 lb)
Orbital inclination: 28.7°
Status: Operational
Launch sites: Cape Canaveral , SLC ‑ 41 Vandenberg , SLC ‑ 3 (planned)
First flight: January 8, 2024
Last flight: February 12, 2026 (most recent)
No boosters: 0, 2, 4, or 6
Empty mass: 4,521 kg (9,966 lb)
Gross mass: 53,030 kg (116,920 lb)
Propellant mass: 47,853 kg (105,497 lb)
Maximum thrust: 2,061 kN (463,249 lb f ) each
Total thrust: 12,364 kN (2,779,494 lb f ) with 6

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Diameter: 5.4
Mass: 546700
Image: Vulcan Centaur rollout (Peregrine) (cropped 2).jpg
Height: 61.6

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Vulcan (rocket)
first flight: 2024-01-08
native label: Vulcan Centaur

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Article

Vulcan Centaur is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed and operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). It is a two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle consisting of the Vulcan first stage and the Centaur V second stage. Replacing ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, the Vulcan Centaur is principally designed to meet the needs of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, which supports U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department, but ULA believes it will also be able to price missions low enough to attract commercial launches.

ULA began development of the new launch vehicle in 2014, primarily to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out the use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powered the Atlas V. The first launch of the Vulcan Centaur was initially scheduled for 2019 but faced multiple delays due to developmental challenges with its new BE-4 first-stage engine and the Centaur second-stage.