ULA Vulcan rocket to launch Space Force mission from Cape Canaveral

United Launch Alliance officers are prepping a Vulcan rocket to ship up a pair of Space Force nationwide safety satellites on one of many firm’s longest-ever launches — lasting greater than seven hours and increasing greater than 22,000 miles above Earth to finish deployment.

For comparability’s sake, the International Space Station orbits about 250 miles above the Earth’s floor.

“(Vulcan) is specifically designed for these exotic orbits that are primarily for the government. And this particular mission is a quintessential example,” ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno stated Thursday, April 7, throughout a media roundtable.

“It is a direct injection to geosynchronous orbit. That means that it is a very, very long-duration mission,” Bruno stated.

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The silver-and-red Vulcan — geared up with 4 side-mounted strong rocket boosters — will raise off Tuesday, Aug. 12, throughout a yet-undisclosed time from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

ULA reported the climate forecast confirmed a 75% likelihood of favorable circumstances, however major meteorological considerations embrace cumulus clouds, floor electrical fields and lightning.

Tuesday’s USSF-106 mission will characterize the Vulcan rocket’s third flight:

The USSF-106 launch is the Vulcan’s first nationwide safety mission for the Space Force’s Space System Command. Looking forward, the Space Force has assigned greater than two dozen nationwide safety launches to Vulcan rockets at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

Little info has been launched concerning the USSF-106 payloads, which ULA reported will characteristic “demonstrations and experiments from Department of Defense customers.” One payload is the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3, DoD’s first experimental navigation satellite tv for pc system in almost 50 years.

Bruno stated he forecasts ULA will attain 9 whole launches this 12 months.

“Earlier we had expected more, but it’s a simple matter of getting started a little bit later in the year as we resolved the (solid-rocket booster) and had to synchronize with customer satellite deliveries and whatnot. So now it’ll be more like nine,” Bruno informed reporters.

“We expect to hit our twice-a-month tempo before the end of the year. So that as we roll into 2026, that forecast is somewhere between 20 and 25 launches, based on weather being good and all things else being the same, and satellites being available,” he stated.

At Launch Complex 41, Bruno stated crews proceed establishing a second vertical integration facility and a second Vulcan cellular launch platform.

He stated he expects Vulcan rockets to start out launching Amazon Project Kuiper satellite tv for pc missions later this 12 months, with ULA reaching a ratio of roughly ⅔ industrial flights and ⅓ Space Force flights.

“For this year, for ’25, we’re fully booked up. ’26? It’s pretty crowded. Someone would have to drop out of line in order for us to make a slot for someone else — that does happen, by the way. And then as we go into 2027, it’s really the same story,” Bruno stated.

For the most recent information from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, go to floridatoday.com/house. Another straightforward means: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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