The Vulcan rocket, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s United Launch Alliance (ULA), has received certification from the United States Space Force to execute National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. This certification now positions ULA as the second company, following SpaceX, to be approved for conducting national security satellite launch missions.
Defense News reported that General Kristin Panzenhagen, the director of space missions at the Space Systems Command, stated, “Vulcan’s certification enhances the launch capacity, flexibility, and agility needed for our nation’s most critical space systems.”
The National Security Space Launch program is a U.S. government-funded initiative designed to ensure that high-value payloads from the Department of Defense and other U.S. government entities can access space. This program, initiated in 1994 as the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, had four launch vehicles qualified for national security space launches in 2019: Atlas V, Delta IV Heavy, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets.
However, Boeing’s Delta IV Heavy was retired in April 2024. With Lockheed Martin’s Atlas V using Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines in its first stage, it was excluded from national security space launch missions following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Currently, only SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets remain eligible for National Security Space Launch missions, establishing SpaceX’s dominance in this space.
The third stage procurement plan for National Security Space Launch (fiscal years 2025-2029) aims to conduct at least 30 orbital launch missions with a contract extension option of 5 years. This long-term planning provides launch providers with stable business expectations and ensures the continuity and reliability of defense space missions.
In October 2024, SpaceX secured a contract for 9 launch missions in the third stage procurement plan for National Security Space Launch, valued at up to $7.335 billion. Among these 9 launches, SpaceX will utilize its established Falcon 9 rocket to establish a low Earth orbit satellite constellation network for NASA.
Two other competitors for this project are ULA’s Vulcan rocket and Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. ULA commenced Vulcan’s development in 2014, successfully launching it for the first time on January 8, 2024. Blue Origin began developing the New Glenn launch vehicle in 2012, conducting its inaugural launch on January 16, 2025.
To achieve certification for National Security Space Launch missions, ULA had to ensure that the Vulcan rocket met stringent technical and safety standards. This certification process, which began in 2016, lasted nearly a decade, with the final step requiring two consecutive successful launches.
As a new rocket, the Vulcan rocket has only been launched twice. The first launch in January 2024 proceeded smoothly. However, during the second launch in October 2024, the solid rocket booster experienced anomalies, with the nozzle being lost during launch, resulting in abnormal flames and decreased thrust. Fortunately, extending the core stage’s propulsion time compensated for the lost booster thrust, resulting in a successful launch.
Despite the setback with the booster issue, delaying Vulcan’s certification, in February of this year, ULA announced that the manufacturing defects in the booster components had been identified and rectified. Consequently, the Space Force decided to award ULA the National Security Space Launch qualification, providing the U.S. government with two companies to choose from for launch missions.
Since New Glenn launch vehicle’s inaugural launch in January and with multiple launches planned for 2025, including two NASA missions, it is anticipated to play an active role in the space launch market.