United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Cert-2 mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral this morning.
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Cert-2 mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral this morning.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

United Launch Alliance successfully launched its second Vulcan rocket this morning from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral. The launch was not a perfect one, however, as Vulcan survived a very close call when one of the two solid-rocket boosters on the first stage partially failed and lost its nozzle in flight.

Despite a partial loss of thrust from the errant SRB, ULA’s flight software and engineering teams were able to make corrections to trajectory of the rocket as it continued to ascent.

Later, ULA CEO Tory Bruno would say that the SRB had “an observation” and he added quickly that the mission was a success.

Problems with the left-hand solid rocket booster are apparent shortly after liftoff. Compare the distorted shape of the SRB at left with the one at right.
Problems with the left-hand solid rocket booster are apparent shortly after liftoff. Compare the distorted shape of the SRB at left with the one at right.
Photo: Chris Leymarie / Florida Media Now

Vulcan uses Northrop Grumman-built GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters to provide additional thrust for the vehicle and to increase its capabilities. GEM motors have a long history of usage, and the 63XL edition was flying its third and fourth flights. Two other GEM 63XLs flew with no problem on Vulcan Cert-1.

graphic: Northrup Grumman

Later on X.com, Tory Bruno stated, “All missions have propellant reserves. We add to that additional propellant margins based on the mass [and] the configuration of the rocket. Because this was compensated for within reserves, this anomaly was ‘invisible’ to the rocket.” Bruno credited “Robust design and well engineered avionics” for the resilience of Vulcan, and indeed, it is one of the very few rockets launched that had an SRB failure and still successfully completed their mission.

Launch Replay

Video starts at t-minus five minutes.

Next Launch:

The next launch from Florida is a tricky call: SpaceX and the FAA have “paused” Falcon family launches while the company investigates issues with Falcon 9s second stage — there was an “off-nominal” performance of the Crew 9 second stage after the astronauts had separated from the launch vehicle when the stage was relit to de-orbit and reenter Earth’s atmosphere.

At this time, SpaceX has not announced a return to flight for Falcon rockets, and the FAA has not yet released a safety determination on the Crew 9 event that would allow SpaceX to resume flights.

Both of those could come at any time, however, and given the short stand-downs earlier in the summer with other Falcon issues, odds are good that this delay will be shorter rather than longer.

Should SpaceX announce Falcon 9 returning to action, its next scheduled launch is for the European Space Agency and the Hera mission. According to ESA, “As part of the world’s first test of asteroid deflection, Hera will perform a detailed post-impact survey of the target asteroid, Dimorphos – the orbiting moonlet of a binary asteroid system known as Didymos.”

“Now that NASA’s DART mission has impacted the moonlet, Hera will turn the grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and repeatable planetary defence technique. Demonstrating new technologies from autonomous navigation around an asteroid to low gravity proximity operations, Hera will be humankind’s first probe to rendezvous with a binary asteroid system and Europe’s flagship Planetary Defender.”

  • Date: NET October 7, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / ESA
  • Mission: Hera
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 10:52 — 11:27 AM EDT
  • Payload: Hera probe
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Cert-2 mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral this morning. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Cert-2 mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral this morning.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Vulcan climbing into the skies at dawn on October 4. 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Vulcan climbing into the skies at dawn on October 4. 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Near the end of the solid-rocket booster phase of flight, Vulcan left a trail behind itself as it flew to orbit on October 4, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Near the end of the solid-rocket booster phase of flight, Vulcan left a trail behind itself as it flew to orbit on October 4, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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ULA Vulcan CERT-2 on the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on October 3, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

United Launch Alliance is planning to launch its second Vulcan rocket early tomorrow morning from Space Launch Complex 41. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 06:00 AM EDT, with a launch window that extends to 09:00 AM EDT the same day.

The launch is planned for about 75 minutes before sunrise, and if liftoff occurs before the sun peeks over the horizon, the expanding gases of the second stage may produce a spectacular display.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Cert-2
  • Date: NET October 4, 2024
  • Launch Window: 06:00 – 09:00 AM EDT
  • Weather: 80% Go during the primary launch window
  • Organization: United Launch Alliance (ULA)
  • Rocket: Vulcan (VCS2)
  • Trajectory: Easterward
  • Launch Site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: none
  • Payload: Scientific instruments and an inert payload
  • Destination: Heliocentric orbit

    * consult the ULA website for the specific target for T-0.

Launch Readiness Review Completed

ULA announced yesterday the mission has been cleared to proceed.

According to the company, “The LRR, led by ULA Launch Director Eric Richards, was completed this morning at the Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC).”

“Leadership from ULA 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 a 75 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.”

ULA Vulcan CERT-2 on the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on October 3, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
ULA Vulcan CERT-2 on the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on October 3, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron has listed a 20% Probability of Violation for tomorrow’s launch, which means that the weather is expected to be 80% GO at launch time.

Payload

In this case, the mission is the payload.

CERT-2 is designed to be the second and final demonstration flight of Vulcan. The key objective for CERT-2 is to validate the performance of the Vulcan rocket and to demonstrate to the Department of Defense that the Vulcan flight system is ready for national defense and surveillance payloads.

ULA Vulcan CERT-2 on the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on October 3, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Aside from the flight characteristics and performance of the Blue Origin BE-4 booster, ULA will also gauge the performance of its Centaur V upper stage. The stage was redesigned for Vulcan and proving its abilities and reliability is also a critical piece of the certification process.

CERT-2 was originally scheduled to carry the Sierra Space Dream Chaser ‘Tenacity’ on its maiden flight, but ULA was forced to switch to an inert payload for CERT-2 due to Dream Chaser not being ready for flight. Dream Chaser is currently scheduled to fly sometime in 2025, but no launch date has been announced. Currently, the spacecraft is at Kennedy Space Center undergoing flight preparations.

Trajectory

Eastwards, relatively speaking. Vulcan is destined for a heliocentric orbit around the sun, so it will take a path that lines up with the equator.

Online Viewing

SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream

ULA will have a livestream of the launch on their website: ULA Cert-2 Mission Page. This will also be available on the Youtube platform. Coverage will start about about twenty minutes prior to liftoff.

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, ULA’s Cert-2 Mission Page is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Flight an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.

Launch Viewing: In Person

Given that this is a launch from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41, Jetty Park, The Banana River Bridge and southern Titusville Parks are your best bets.

Cocoa Beach and the northern Titusville parks will have an excellent view as well.

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United Launch Alliance's CERT-2 rocket on its way to the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on September 30, 2024. Photo: United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance’s CERT-2 rocket on its way to the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on September 30, 2024.
Photo: United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance has moved its second Vulcan Rocket from their Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 to the launch mount. Final preparations can now begin for a launch scheduled for NET (not earlier than) Friday morning. Launch time is unofficially expected to be between 06:00 AM – 009:00 AM EDT, but ULA has not yet announced an official time for T-0.

Test Mission

This mission, dubbed “CERT-2” will not carry a customer payload. Originally slated to launch Sierra’s Dream Chaser on its maiden voyage to the International Space Station, ULA and Sierra agreed to remove the payload because Sierra would not have Dream Chaser flight-ready this fall. Instead, ULA will fly an inert “dummy” to simulate a payload with the goal being to further prove out the Vulcan system and also to achieve certification from the Department of Defense for Vulcan to launch national defense payloads.

United Launch Alliance's Vulcan CERT-1 lifting off on January 8, 2024.
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan CERT-1 lifting off on January 8, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

In its first launch, Vulcan performed admirably, launching Astrobiotics Peregrine lunar lander to its target orbit, with the lander then traveling to cislunar space.

Vulcan is the first rocket designed wholly by United Launch Alliance. The Delta and Atlas family of rockets were legacy designs created by Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively prior to the founding of the company in 2006. ULA is a joint venture between the two aerospace giants, and has successfully launched more than 157 missions since its inception.

According to the company, “This second Certification (Cert-2) launch will demonstrate Vulcan’s high-energy rocket architecture by achieving an Earth-escape trajectory and placing the Centaur V with an inert, non-deployable payload into deep space where it will orbit the sun for the rest of time. Cert-2 follows Vulcan’s successful inaugural launch on Jan. 8, 2024.”

Vulcan CERT-2 will be externally identical to the CERT-1 vehicle: along with the methane-oxygen fueled first stage powered by two Blue Origin BE-4 engines (the same engine Blue Origin will use with New Glenn) the first stage will also have two GEM solid-rocket boosters attached to give it additional lifting power. Together, the methane-fueled main engines and SRBs will provide the 2 million pounds (8.9 kilo-Newtons) of thrust generated at liftoff to power Vulcan off the launch pad.

Mark Peller, ULA’s senior vice president, Vulcan Development and Advanced Programs said in a press release that, “After the key objectives necessary for certification are completed, the mission will evaluate additional changes to the design of the upper stage and how it is operated over long coast periods to further increase its endurance.”

In other words, ULA plans to first meet the requirements of DoD certification, and afterwards, work on iterative improvements on the new vehicle.

The United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket is transported from the Vertical Integration Facility-G (VIF-G) to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in preparation for the second certification mission (Cert-2). Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
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United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas V 551 from Space Launch Complex 41 this morning carrying the USSF-51 classified national defense payload for the US Space Force. Liftoff was at 06:45 AM EDT, just as the sun was rising.

Today’s launch was the last national security payload for Atlas V, but the rocket will continue to fly until 2030 when it will loft astronauts aboard Starliner to the ISS. All remaining Atlas V launches are scheduled to take place in Cape Canaveral at SLC-41.

The next Atlas V scheduled to launch will be for Amazon’s Project Kuiper sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, carrying the first of its production satellites to orbit for the company’s planned LEO-based Internet service.

Full story is here

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Atlas V
Atlas V rising Tuesday morning
Photo: Ed Cordero / ERC Photos

United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas V 551 from Space Launch Complex 41 this morning carrying the USSF-51 classified national defense payload for the US Space Force. Liftoff was at 06:45 AM EDT, just as the sun was rising.

Today’s launch was the last national security payload for Atlas V, but the rocket will continue to fly until 2030 when it will loft astronauts aboard Starliner to the ISS. The next Atlas V scheduled to launch will be for Amazon’s Project Kuiper sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, carrying the first of its production satellites to orbit for the company’s planned LEO-based Internet service.

Atlas V left its tell-tale exhaust plume, brightly lit by the rising sun.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Liftoff was nominal, and the rocket soared to orbit with no apparent issues. Tory Bruno, ULA’s CEO, called the flight “Hot, straight, and normal” six minutes after liftoff, and moments later announced that Atlas V was in orbit. Presumably, pending an announcement of payload deployment, the flight was a success.

Launch Replay

Payload

Today’s payload was a classified national defense asset for the US Space Force. No other information was given.

Atlas V rising.
Photo: Ed Cordero / ERC Photos

Remaining Atlas V Launches From Cape Canaveral

Despite some reports in the media, today’s flight was not the last-ever Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral, instead, it was the final national security mission from the workhorse rocket. The last Atlas V won’t launch until 2030 if the current manifest plays out as planned:

Next Launch

SpaceX will launch another tranche of Starlink satellites overnight on Friday morning.

  • Date: NET August 2, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 10-6
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 12:19 AM – 05:02 AM EDT
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
Atlas V lifting off.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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Atlas V and USSF-51 sitting on its launch pad on July 29, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

United Launch Alliance is planning to launch an Atlas V tomorrow morning from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window opens at 06:45 AM EDT and extends to 11:45 AM the same day.

The payload for this mission is classified and is for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). No other information is publicly available.

In their press materials, ULA notes that “The Atlas V USSF-51 mission on Tuesday is the 100th ULA launch dedicated to national security.” They also note that this is the last national security mission for Atlas V, and that future missions will be aboard the company’s new rocket, Vulcan.

Atlas V sitting on its launch pad on July 29, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

At A Glance

  • Mission: USSF-51
  • Date: NET July 30, 2024
  • Launch Window: 06:45 AM – 11:45 AM EDT*
  • Weather: 80% Go during the primary launch window
  • Organization: United Launch Alliance
  • Rocket: Atlas V 551
  • Trajectory: Easterward
  • Launch Site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: None
  • Payload: Classified
  • Destination: Classified

    * consult ULA website for the specific target for T-0.

Mission Profile

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron has released their weather forecast, and it’s a good one as far as launches go: only a 20% probability of violation, meaning the forecasters expect an 80% chance of acceptable weather during the launch window.

The 45th’s main concerns are, “The possibility of showers and an isolated thunderstorm near or just off the Spaceport coast in the mornings Tuesday and Wednesday. The Cumulus Cloud Rule and Anvil Cloud Rules are the concerns for the primary launch window and Cumulus Cloud Rule is the concern for the backup launch window.”

via 45th Weather Squadron
Retrieved July 29, 2024

Trajectory

The rocket’s trajectory will be East-Southeast as it rises, effectively straight away from the coast if you are facing the Atlantic Ocean in Florida.

Online Viewing

United Launch Alliance will have a live feed of the launch beginning at 06:25 AM EDT

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, ULALaunch.com is the best source of information.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.

Launch Viewing: In Person

This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-41, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

Given the early hours of the launch window (0:645AM – 11:45AM EDT) these restaurants may not be open for launch viewing. Later in the day, all three may well be, so if you are interested, be sure to call ahead to make sure they’ll be ready to serve you.

  • The Space Bar ($$$) – atop the Courtyard Marriott near Kennedy Parkway
  • New York New York ($$) – on the Indian River with an outdoor seating area. Is family-friendly.
  • Shiloh’s ($$$) — located on the Indian River with an outdoor deck overlooking KSC/CCSFS

Indirect Views

There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-41 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.

  • Jetty Park, Port Canaveral
    • Fee required, much be purchased in advance: Port Canaveral Store
    • It’s very possible to see a cruise ship coming or going.
    • The pier especially has great views
  • Cocoa Beach
    • Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
    • Further away, but still good views.
  • Northern Titusville Parks
    • Further away, but really nice views.

Playalinda Beach

Playalinda Beach out on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore will be open to spectators at 6:00 AM EDT, that is if KSC Security and the National Park Service allow viewers for the launch. That’s a bit tight for a 06:45 AM launch, but this may be an option available to you. I cannot stress this enough: Call ahead to be sure.

Cape Canaveral National Seashore • Playalinda Beach
Phone: (386) 428-3384 x0
Current operating hours: 6:00 AM–8:00 PM

If you are going to Playalinda, and if it is open, remember these general tips. Some may not apply to this particular launch.

  • Get there at least two hours early, or better, earlier than that. Lines are long at the entry gate and they will only allow as many spectator vehicles as there are parking space available.
  • If the launch L-0 time is moved to after 8PM, you must leave Playalinda, as the National Park Service is very strict about closing hours.
  • Cape Canaveral National Seashore has a fee to get in and cash is not accepted. Debit and credit cards are okay, or if you have one of the National Park Service’s passes for the Seashore or the National Parks, that will work as well.
  • Cellphone service is spotty at best and often non-existent at Playalinda. Don’t count on your cellphone to keep up with the launch; you might get a signal, or you might not.
  • You are not allowed to view from the pullouts on Beach Road. Stanchions will block them. You’ll have to park and go to the beach.
  • Refreshments are not available. There are no stores at Cape Canaveral National Seashore, so you’ll need to bring drinks and food if you want any while you’re there.
  • Rangers will keep you back a certain distance from the launch area on the beach. Even if the beach is open, you’ll still be unable to go down to the fence that demarcates the normal security zone. There’s a line that spectators can’t go past somewhat north of the fence. That’s for safety and security.

Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.

Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you

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Teams process Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space’s uncrewed cargo spaceplane, inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024, following its arrival from the agency’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

In an announcement today, United Launch Alliance stated that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser is off of the second flight of ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Statement from United Launch Alliance, June 26, 2024

On the X platform today, ULA said “We have been working closely with our current VulcanRocket Cert2 customer, Sierra Space, and while ULA will be ready to fly, Sierra Space has shared that they are making excellent progress with Dream Chaser but have schedule risk to fly by that time.”

They added, “Based on this delay and urgent national security needs, we are prioritizing the Cert2 mission to enable certification to launch our first National Security Space mission.

“We plan to fly an inert payload, experiments, and demonstrations the #Cert2 mission.

“We are working with Sierra Space to identify the next available launch date.”

ULA concluded that they are “[A]ware of the heightened threat environment the nation is facing in space and takes seriously the critical responsibility of launching essential National Security Space satellite assets to orbit promptly.”

For their part, at the time of this writing, Sierra Space has made no statement regarding the matter.

The move, however, makes a lot of sense for all parties: ULA needs to fly Vulcan a second time successfully to achieve certification from the Department of Defense to fly national security payloads aboard Vulcan. That in turn would allow ULA to fulfill its contracted obligations and to get its backlogged manifest of DoD launches in process.

ULA has received the booster for Vulcan CERT-2, and it is being processed at the company’s facilities in Florida, but it has yet to announce a target launch date for the vehicle.

Vulcan CERT-1 lifts off on January 8, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

For Sierra Space, the move relieves schedule pressure to some degree and allows them time to focus on ensuring that no stones are left unturned in the lead-up to Dream Chaser’s maiden spaceflight. Given that the Tenacity spacecraft that will fly the mission is also planned to be re-used, its critical for Sierra to have a successful launch and landing of the spacecraft.

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After about a decade of setbacks and challenges, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is set to head to orbit with crew aboard for the first time tomorrow evening. To say that it has been a roller coaster for engineers and managers of the legacy-rich company would be a massive understatement. Still, the mood among the Space Coast workers at Boeing is best described as quietly confident.

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