US EditionUnited Launch Alliance's new Vulcan rocket blasts off on first Space Force-sanctioned flight
The launch tests new GPS technologies to improve resilience against jamming and spoofing while marking Vulcan's first national security mission, ULA said.
- Yesterday, United Launch Alliance and the United States Space Force launched NTS-3 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with at least two satellites aboard for testing upgraded navigation technology.
- Amid congressional pressure, ULA's reliance on Russian engines prompted a mandate for an all-American launcher, marking nearly 50 years since the last experimental navigation satellite.
- Amid a brilliant exhaust visible for miles, the Vulcan Centaur’s two BE-4 engines ignited at 8:56 p.m. EDT, and its four solid rocket boosters were jettisoned less than five minutes into launch.
- Following deployment, the United States Space Force will weigh how to integrate proven NTS-3 capabilities into GPS IIIF production, where there’s room for additional technologies.
- Meanwhile, the Space Force’s Resilient GPS program plans to augment its satellite fleet with small, lower-cost spacecraft, and NTS-3 will inform future PNT signals, as built by L3Harris for AFRL and Space Systems Command.
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24 Articles
First Space Force-sanctioned flight blasts off
The United Launch Alliance launched a Vulcan rocket Tuesday night from Florida as part of the first U.S. Space Force-sanctioned flight. The 200-foot spacecraft with four rocket boosters lifted off at 8:56 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. “It’s an exciting day for us as we launched the first NSSL flight…
ULA's Vulcan rocket launches first national security mission, boosting military GPS capabilities
ULA’s Vulcan is expected to become the company's central launcher for national security and commercial space missions, but its launch Tuesday was its long-awaited military debut.
ULA launches Vulcan rocket on first Space Force mission – Spaceflight Now
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket roared off the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 to begin the USSF-106 mission for the U.S. Space Force. This was the first national security launch using a Vulcan rocket and the 101st national security mission for ULA. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance fired off it’s first fully operational Vulcan rocket Tuesday, boosting two military satellites into space in the first Space Force-s…
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