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.
34 Articles
34 Articles
After delays, Space Force launches testbed satellite for experimental PNT capabilities
The Space Force has deployed a satellite designed to demonstrate experimental position, navigation and timing technologies — marking the first successful liftoff for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket under the National Security Space Launch program. The Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NST-3) payload was hoisted Tuesday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, into geosynchronous orbit, where it will spend the next year con…
ULA Vulcan launches first NSSL mission
ULA's Vulcan successfully launched last evening, the company said, marking the rocket's long-awaited first National Security Space Launch. The rocket lifted off at 8:56 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida carrying the USSF-106 mission. Vulcan placed the space vehicles -- Navigation Technology Satellite-3 and a classified Space Force payload -- into geosynchronous Earth orbit. “Vulcan did exactly what it was built to do: deliv…
ULA launches Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched its most powerful Vulcan rocket yet on Tuesday night. The rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida just before 9:00 p.m. Eastern. On board were two national security satellites on behalf of the U.S. military. The Vulcan's four solid rocket boosters separated 90 seconds after liftoff, followed by the first stage separation a few minutes later. The powerful Centaur …
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…
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