For the first time, United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket is launching a national security mission, with a planned liftoff Tuesday evening from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
While this will be ULA’s third time launching its Vulcan Centaur rocket, it’s the first time the company’s rocket is carrying payloads for the U.S. Space Force.
The mission includes classified payloads, as well as an experimental navigation satellite system – the first of its kind for the Department of Defense in nearly 50 years.
In a post on X, ULA said “This is the first national security space launch aboard the certified Vulcan rocket. The Vulcan rocket will deploy the USSF-106 mission directly to geosynchronous (GEO) orbit using the high-performance Centaur V upper stage.”
A geosynchronous orbit is about 22,000 miles above the Earth and matches the planet’s rotational period, allowing a payload deployed there to orbit above roughly the same spot.
The maiden launch of Vulcan Centaur was back in Jan. 2024. About ten months later, the rocket flew on its national security certification flight. Vulcan Centaur replaces ULA’s Atlas V, which had racked up over a 100 orbital launches
The mission’s launch window opens on Tuesday between 7:59 and 8:59 p.m. EST. You can watch the live feed from ULA here.
