ULA Vulcan Makes Successful Space Force Debut

Two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle sends a Space Force craft to geosynchronous Earth orbit.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 01:19 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur—a two-stage, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle—lifts off on its debut national security mission for the U.S. Space Force. [Courtesy: United Launch Alliance]

Key Takeaways:

United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur successfully completed its debut national security mission (USSF-106) for the U.S. Space Force, deploying the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) to geosynchronous orbit.
This launch is a pivotal moment for the Space Force, marking Vulcan Centaur as the successor to the Delta IV Heavy and ending the U.S.'s reliance on Russian-made engines for national security launches.
The successful mission positions Vulcan as a key player in the highly competitive National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, where ULA has secured a significant number of future contracts alongside companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.

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After years of certification snags, the U.S. Space Force finally has its latest National Security Space Launch (NSSL) rocket.

The newest branch of the U.S. armed forces on Tuesday launched United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), marking the two-stage, heavy-lift launch vehicle’s debut national security mission. The NSSL program is responsible for sending some of the nation’s most sensitive and advanced space technology to orbit.