- Translation missing: en.sections.mission.launch_date
- 8 Jan 2024 (Cert-1)
- Translation missing: en.sections.mission.vehicle
- Vulcan Centaur
- Translation missing: en.sections.mission.duration
- In service since 2024
The Rollout: Power in Motion
Vulcan begins every mission with a 4-mile crawl to Space Launch Complex-41
The Mobile Launch Platform carries the vehicle fully stacked and mission-ready
This slow-motion trek allows teams to run final system checks en route
Rollout day is a launch in itself — precision, choreography, and raw engineering pride
The Mobile Launch Platform carries the vehicle fully stacked and mission-ready
This slow-motion trek allows teams to run final system checks en route
Rollout day is a launch in itself — precision, choreography, and raw engineering pride
Pad 41: The Quiet Before Thunder
SLC-41 has hosted Titan, Atlas, and now Vulcan, the next-generation heavy lifter
Ground umbilicals load super-cold propellants just minutes before launch
The pad's lightning towers shield the rocket from Florida's volatile weather
Every cable, clamp, and fuel line exists for one purpose: lift Vulcan skyward
Ground umbilicals load super-cold propellants just minutes before launch
The pad's lightning towers shield the rocket from Florida's volatile weather
Every cable, clamp, and fuel line exists for one purpose: lift Vulcan skyward
Gold-Hour Ignition: Lighting a Path to Orbit
Vulcan's first stage is powered by two BE-4 engines, producing 550,000+ lbs of thrust each
At liftoff, Vulcan pushes with over 2 million pounds of total thrust
Strap-on GEM-63XL solid boosters provide an additional 1.5M lbs of thrust when configured
Vulcan is designed for missions from LEO to interplanetary, including future crew-rated variants
The rocket's flight computer uses triple-redundant guidance systems derived from Atlas V heritage
At liftoff, Vulcan pushes with over 2 million pounds of total thrust
Strap-on GEM-63XL solid boosters provide an additional 1.5M lbs of thrust when configured
Vulcan is designed for missions from LEO to interplanetary, including future crew-rated variants
The rocket's flight computer uses triple-redundant guidance systems derived from Atlas V heritage
Ignition: Vulcan's Flight Begins
ULA launched Vulcan Cert-1 from Cape Canaveral in January 2024
Night launches provide better tracking of exhaust plumes and staging events due to high contrast against the sky
Turbopump exhaust and the BE-4 methane burn appear blue-white, more visible during low-light conditions
Temperature and atmospheric stability at night often result in smoother winds aloft, ideal for heavy missions
Vulcan's Cert-1 night launch reached orbit 57 minutes after liftoff before deploying payloads toward cislunar space
Night launches provide better tracking of exhaust plumes and staging events due to high contrast against the sky
Turbopump exhaust and the BE-4 methane burn appear blue-white, more visible during low-light conditions
Temperature and atmospheric stability at night often result in smoother winds aloft, ideal for heavy missions
Vulcan's Cert-1 night launch reached orbit 57 minutes after liftoff before deploying payloads toward cislunar space
The Rollout: Power in Motion
- Vulcan begins every mission with a 4-mile crawl to Space Launch Complex-41
- The Mobile Launch Platform carries the vehicle fully stacked and mission-ready
- This slow-motion trek allows teams to run final system checks en route
- Rollout day is a launch in itself — precision, choreography, and raw engineering pride
Pad 41: The Quiet Before Thunder
- SLC-41 has hosted Titan, Atlas, and now Vulcan, the next-generation heavy lifter
- Ground umbilicals load super-cold propellants just minutes before launch
- The pad's lightning towers shield the rocket from Florida's volatile weather
- Every cable, clamp, and fuel line exists for one purpose: lift Vulcan skyward
Gold-Hour Ignition: Lighting a Path to Orbit
- Vulcan's first stage is powered by two BE-4 engines, producing 550,000+ lbs of thrust each
- At liftoff, Vulcan pushes with over 2 million pounds of total thrust
- Strap-on GEM-63XL solid boosters provide an additional 1.5M lbs of thrust when configured
- Vulcan is designed for missions from LEO to interplanetary, including future crew-rated variants
- The rocket's flight computer uses triple-redundant guidance systems derived from Atlas V heritage
Ignition: Vulcan's Flight Begins
- ULA launched Vulcan Cert-1 from Cape Canaveral in January 2024
- Night launches provide better tracking of exhaust plumes and staging events due to high contrast against the sky
- Turbopump exhaust and the BE-4 methane burn appear blue-white, more visible during low-light conditions
- Temperature and atmospheric stability at night often result in smoother winds aloft, ideal for heavy missions
- Vulcan's Cert-1 night launch reached orbit 57 minutes after liftoff before deploying payloads toward cislunar space
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