Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is preparing to launch Vulcan on its first national security mission early next week from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, the USSF-106 mission will lift off from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41, carrying the U.S. Space Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) into geosynchronous orbit.
Launch Details
| Mission | Vulcan VC4S | USSF-106 (NTS-3 & Others) |
|---|---|
| Organization | United Launch Alliance |
| Location | Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA |
| Rocket | Vulcan VC4S |
| Pad | Space Launch Complex 41 |
| Status | Go for Launch |
| Status Info | Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources. |
| Window Opens | Tuesday, 08/12/2025 7:59 PM EDT |
| Window Closes | Tuesday, 08/12/2025 8:59 PM EDT |
| Destination | Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) |
| Mission Description | USSF-106 is a U.S. Space Force mission deploying multiple payloads—including the NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3), a demonstration satellite testing a reprogrammable digital signal generator to improve navigation resilience—directly into GEO using the new Vulcan Centaur VC4S rocket. |
| Information current as of: August 10, 2025, 11:54 AM EDT | |
Launch dates and liftoff times are subject to change at any time.
USSF-106 will be Vulcan’s first operational flight, a milestone years in the making. ULA started work on the Vulcan family of rockets in 2014, and later the same year decided to use Blue Origin’s BE-4 methane-oxygen (methalox) engines. The decision was somewhat controversial at the time, given that Blue had not completed the final design of BE-4 much less started producing them at scale. It is ULA’s first rocket that the company has designed completely by itself.
This decision was a result of a way to move away from reliance on Russian RD-180 engines, which powered ULA’s Atlas V, and to ensure a domestically produced alternative for national security launches, and was mandated by Congress.
High Stakes for ULA
The mission is a key test not only of the rocket’s technical reliability but also of ULA’s ability to deliver on commitments that have been delayed by the vehicle’s troubled rollout. Military leaders, including Major General Stephen G. Purdy, have voiced frustration with setbacks that pushed back four major national security missions.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
For ULA, this launch is more than just another flight; it is a chance to restore customer confidence after the near-disaster of Vulcan’s second certification mission last October. That launch succeeded in reaching orbit, but only after a solid rocket booster nozzle broke off mid-flight, causing asymmetric thrust that had to be corrected in real time by the in-flight software and by ground controllers. The incident raised concerns about the Vulcan’s Northrup Grumman-built GEM 63XL solid rocket motors, which lead to months of investigation and a test firing before certification for Vulcan was granted in March.
ULA holds a $5.3 billion contract to provide launch services through 2034, a lucrative and strategically important deal that depends on consistent, fault-free performance. A successful USSF-106 flight would help Vulcan’s place as a major part of the nation’s launch capability. A failure would put the company’s reputation and perhaps even government contracts in peril.
Payload
The mission’s payload, NTS-3, is an experimental navigation satellite designed to test advanced technologies designed to augment the GPS system.
The Air Force Research Lab released this video describing NTS-3:
