Why Vulcan is the Most Important Rocket ULA Has Ever Built
17,584In less than 24 hours we expect Vulcan to make its first launch.
Vulcan is going to replace both the Atlas and Delta rockets, it's the first rocket designed in house by ULA which had inherited Atlas and Delta from its parents - Lockheed & Boeing.
Vulcan needs to adapt to a modern launch market, where SpaceX has been able to dominate in large part due to its booster reusability enabling lower costs. Vulcan isn't ever going to be fully reusable, but its upper stage is more capable than the Falcon 9, and overall the vehicle is lighter because it doesn't need to carry excess propellent for booster recovery.
It's sold over 50 launches to the US Government, Amazon and Sierra space, but, simultaneously, ULA itself is for sale, and an acquisition by Blue Origin may have large consequences for the long term viability of Vulcan.
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