Space Force looks at moving “significant number” of launches from ULA to SpaceX

The United States Space Force is grappling with the repercussions of the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan rocket facing its second grounding in under two years. This situation is expected to have a lasting impact on how the Pentagon approaches the procurement of launch services, according to a senior military official. The Vulcan rocket is one of the two main vehicles utilized by the Space Force for satellite deployments, alongside SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Despite an extensive backlog of nearly 70 launches, the Vulcan has only completed four missions since its inaugural flight in January 2024. Notably, two of those missions encountered issues with one of its solid rocket boosters. In the first incident in October 2024, an exhaust nozzle detached from the booster, and a similar problem recurred during a launch in February. Although the rocket successfully reached its designated orbits in both cases, the anomalies raise concerns regarding ULA and its booster provider, Northrop Grumman. With the Vulcan rocket still many months away from resuming operations for the military, some industry insiders speculate that the Space Force might not conduct another Vulcan launch this year. Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, the head of the Space Force’s Space Systems Command, acknowledged that the reliability challenges facing the Vulcan are a significant concern for military leaders involved in space operations. He emphasized that these experiences will undoubtedly influence future decisions regarding the procurement of launch services by the Pentagon, stating, "From my role, as essentially the person who accepts the risk of launching the rocket, it certainly shapes my decision space."