ULA's Vulcan Rocket Set for Return to Flight on November 13 After Booster Anomaly

Vulcan Rocket Resumes Operations

United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced its Vulcan rocket is scheduled to return to service on November 13. This launch will be the first since a solid rocket booster anomaly occurred nine months ago, impacting ULA's launch schedule.

The upcoming mission will carry 40 satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband constellation. This is the first of 38 Vulcan flights Amazon has contracted for its network deployment, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, pending range approval.

Addressing Booster Anomalies

The Vulcan rocket experienced nozzle failures on its solid rocket boosters during two of its first four missions, including one in February. Although the rocket completed its missions despite these failures, the incidents led to a loss of confidence from the US Space Force, ULA's primary customer.

The Space Force will closely monitor this return-to-flight mission, as it has entrusted Vulcan for approximately half of its major launches through the early 2030s. Vulcan was certified for national security launches in 2025 and flew two such missions before the February grounding.

Design Improvements Implemented

ULA stated that engineers have identified several potential contributors to the booster anomaly and have implemented mitigations through design and process improvements to the nozzle. The upcoming launch will utilize this improved nozzle design.

ULA plans to continue additional testing and analysis in parallel with the mission. The company believes flying the improved design will provide valuable flight data to validate these improvements and support its customers.