Vulcan Next Generation Launch System (NGLS)

United Launch Alliance (ULA) marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its next generation Vulcan rocket on 08 January 2024 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Vulcan provides industry-leading capabilities to deliver any payload, at any time, to any orbit. “Vulcan’s inaugural launch ushers in a new, innovative capability to meet the ever-growing requirements of space launch,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “Vulcan will provide high performance and affordability while continuing to deliver our superior reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets. Vulcan continues the legacy of Atlas as the world’s only high-energy architecture rocket.” Vulcan leverages the world’s highest-performing upper stage to deliver on ULA’s industry-leading legacy of reliability and precision. Centaur V’s matchless flexibility and extreme endurance enables the most complex orbital insertions within the most challenging and clandestine orbits. “The successful development and flight of this evolutionary rocket is a true testament to the unrivaled dedication and ingenuity of our workforce,” said Mark Peller, vice president of Vulcan Development. “Vulcan’s purpose-built design leverages the best of what we’ve learned from more than 120 combined years of launch experience with Atlas and Delta, ultimately advancing our nation’s space capability and providing unprecedented mission flexibility.” The first certification flight (Cert-1) mission included two payloads: Astrobotic's first Peregrine Lunar Lander, Peregrine Mission One (PM1), as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface, and the Celestis Memorial Spaceflights deep space Voyager mission, the Enterprise Flight. The Cert-1 mission served as the first of two certification flights required for the U.S. Space Force’s certification process. The second certification mission (Cert-2) is planned to launch in the coming months, followed by a summer launch of the first Vulcan mission to support national security space. “As we build on today’s successful launch, the team will continue to work towards our future bi-weekly launch rate to meet our customers’ manifest requirements, while continuing to develop future Vulcan upgrades including SMART reuse plans for downrange, non-propulsive recovery of Vulcan engines,” said Bruno. ULA has sold more than 70 Vulcan launches to date, including 38 missions for Amazon’s Project Kuiper and multiple national security space launch missions as the part of the country’s Phase 2 launch procurement. Vulcan Centaur is ULA's next-generation, American rocket system. As a result of these agreements, the Vulcan Centaur will surpass current rocket capabilities and launch services at significantly lower costs, while still meeting the requirements of ULA’s cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Air Force to certify the Vulcan Centaur for national security space missions.

With the introduction of the Vulcan, ULA’s next generation launch system (NGLS), ULA was transforming the future of space launch — making it more affordable, accessible, and commercialized — and innovating to develop solutions to the nation’s most critical need: reliable access to space. The NGLS offers customers unprecedented flexibility in a single system. From low Earth orbit (LEO) to Pluto, the single-core NGLS does it all. This simple design was more cost-efficient for all customers, whether defense and national security, NASA science and human spaceflight, or commercial.

The NGLS will have an American engine, will offer the best value and with the introduction of the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) it will have greater capability than any other rocket on the market.

In step one, with a planned initial launch capability in 2019, Vulcan will exceed the capability of Atlas V, serving the vast majority of our customers’ mission needs. Step one of the NGLS consists of single booster stage, the high-energy Centaur second stage and either a 4-meter or 5-meter-diameter payload fairing. Up to four solid rocket boosters (SRBs) augment the lift off power of the 4-meter configuration, while up to six SRBs can be added to the 5-meter.

In step two, the Centaur second stage will be replaced by the more powerful ACES in 2023. With the addition of ACES, Vulcan will achieve the current capability of the Delta IV Heavy, which carries the largest payloads for critical customers.

This effort requires a significant amount of time, and ULA did not expect to have its new launch vehicle certified to launch national security satellites before 2020. Because it will take a number of years to get their new launch vehicle ready for competition, ULA anticipated needing to use the RD-180 engine in the meantime to support the current launch manifest.

The US government had been considering switching from the Russian RD-180 to US-made engines for years. In April 2014, a US Federal Court issued an injunction against sales of Russian-produced RD-180 engines to the United Launch Alliance, a U.S. importer of the rocket engine, in a move to punish Russia for its policies in Ukraine and Crimea.

In 2014, the United Launch Alliance transferred an unspecified sum to Blue Origin, a spaceflight venture owned by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, to develop a prototype. However, despite numerous attempts to design an alternative, the Russian-produced RD-180 was still being used in the US-designed Atlas III and Atlas V expandable launch systems.

The Moscow-based producer and exporter of the RD-180 engines, NPO Energomash, contested that the investment will affect prospective exports of the Russian-produced engines to the US. ‘NPO Energomash will sell 20 more engines to the US by 2019,’ in full accordance with an agreement signed in December 2015 with RD Amross [a Florida-based joint venture], said Igor Arbuzov, general director of NPO Energomash.

According to Igor Afanasyev, editor-in-chief of the ?osmonautics News magazine, it could take as long as seven years for the U.S. to equip its space launch vehicles with the domestically made engines. “I’m not sure it is realistic to accomplish the project in five years”.

The US Air Force signed contracts with two US firms in an attempt to develop a domestic alternative to the Russian RD-180 engine used in National Security Space launches. The US Department of Defense estimated that potential investment in the project by the government and the two ventures could reach $1.1 billion.

ATK Launch Systems Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Orbital ATK Inc., Magna, Utah, was awarded on January 13, 2016 a $46,968,005 other transaction agreement for the development of three rocket propulsion system prototypes for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. This agreement implements Section 1604 of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires the development of a next-generation rocket propulsion system that will transition away from the use of the Russian-supplied RD-180 engine to a domestic alternative for National Security Space launches. An other transaction agreement was used in lieu of a standard procurement contract in order to leverage on-going investment by industry in rocket propulsion systems.

This other transaction agreement requires shared cost investment with ATK Launch Systems Inc. for the development of prototypes of the GEM 63XL strap-on solid rocket motor, the Common Booster Segment (CBS) solid rocket motor, and an Extendable Nozzle for Blue Origin’s BE-3U upper stage engine. These rocket propulsion systems are intended for use on an Orbital ATK next generation launch vehicle. The GEM 63XL strap-on solid rocket motor was also intended for use on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicle. The locations of performance are Magna, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; Chandler, Arizona; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.

The work was expected to be completed no later than Dec. 30, 2019. Air Force fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $46,968,005 are being obligated at the time of award. ATK Launch Systems Inc. was contributing $31,130,360 at the time of award. The total potential government investment, including all options, was $180,238,059. The total potential investment by ATK Launch Systems Inc., including all options, was $124,830,693. This award was the result of a competitive acquisition with multiple offers received. The Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California was the contracting activity (FA8811-16-9-0002).

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, California, was awarded on February 29, 2016 a $115,312,613 other transaction agreement for the development of the AR1 rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. This agreement implements Section 1604 of the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires the development of a next-generation rocket propulsion system that will transition away from the use of the Russian supplied RD-180 engine to a domestic alternative for National Security Space launches. An other transaction agreement was used in lieu of a standard procurement contract in order to leverage ongoing investment by industry in rocket propulsion systems. This other transaction agreement requires shared cost investment with Aerojet Rocketdyne for the development of a prototype of the AR1 engine, a booster stage engine intended for use on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicle.

The locations of performance are Canoga Park, California; Sacramento, California; Centennial, Colorado; Huntsville, Alabama; Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. The work was expected to be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2019. Air Force fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $52,200,000; and Air Force fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $63,112,613 are being obligated at the time of award. Aerojet Rocketdyne was contributing $57,656,307 at the time of award. The total potential government investment, including all options, was $536,029,652. The total potential investment by Aerojet Rocketdyne, including all options, was $268,014,826. This award was the result of a competitive acquisition with multiple offers received. The Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, was the contracting activity (FA8811-16-9-0003).

In February 2016 the U.S. Air Force awarded a $46.6 million contract to ULA and Blue Origin, a privately funded aerospace company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The contract will enable ULA and Blue Origin to continue work to integrate Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine into ULA’s new Vulcan launch system, which will replace the Atlas V and will be built in Decatur. A new type of engine, the BE-4 burns a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas - LNG, a viable form of methane. ULA said the BE-4 offers the fastest path to a domestic alternative to the Russian-built engine.

The BE-4 uses the latest design and manufacturing techniques, it’s made for both commercial and government missions. The BE-4 uses oxygen-rich staged combustion of liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas to produce 550,000 lb. of thrust. The BE-4 was currently under development and will be flight-ready in 2017.

Liquefied natural gas is commercially available, affordable, and highly efficient for spaceflight. Unlike other rocket fuels, such as kerosene, liquefied natural gas can be used to pressurize a rocket’s propellant tanks. This is called autogenous pressurization and eliminates the need for costly and complex pressurization systems, like helium. Liquefied natural gas also leaves no soot byproducts as kerosene does, simplifying engine reuse.

United Launch Alliance (ULA)–maker of the Atlas V and Delta IV launch systems–has chosen the BE-4 to power its next generation Vulcan launch vehicle. The BE-4 engine will be used on Blur Origin's New Glenn family of launch vehicles. The first stage will use seven BE-4 engines and the second stage will use a single BE-4 engine.

Blue Origin argued that the engine proposed by the alternative engine developer was marketed as a “drop-in replacement” for the RD-180, but development of a true drop-in replacement for the RD-180 would pose severe technical challenges. The RD-180 operates at the utmost edge of high performance, with an extremely high chamber pressure of 3,700 psi and turbopump outlet pressures of more than 8,000 psi. In reality, the alternative engine proposal would result in an engine with lower performance than the RD-180 and would require significant changes to the launch vehicle to meet the required payload capability.

The BE-4 was designed from the beginning to be a moderate performing variant of the high performance oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle architecture – a conscious design choice to lower development risk while meeting performance and schedule requirements. Two BE-4 engines provide a combined total of 1.1 million pounds of thrust, which provides a greater payload capability relative to the RD-180.

Millennium Engineering and Integration Co., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a $9,951,573 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order on Feb. 22, 2018 for Vulcan launch systems and Next Generation Launcher launch systems new entrant certification support. This task order provides for systems engineering and integration services for the government during certification of the Vulcan and Next Generation Launcher systems. Work will be performed in Decatur, Alabama; Chandler, Arizona; Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Centennial, Colorado; Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; Bacchus, Utah; Promontory, Utah; and Kent, Washington. Work was expected to be complete by Feb. 21, 2019. This award was the result of a competitive acquisition and six offers were received. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $9,951,573 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate Contracting, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, was the contracting activity (FA8811-17-F-4001).

On Sept. 27, 2018, following completion of a competitive procurement, ULA had selected Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine for Vulcan Centaur’s booster stage. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled booster will be powered by a pair of BE-4 engines, each producing 550,000 pounds of sea level thrust. As previously announced, ULA had selected Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10 engine for the Centaur upper stage, Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters, L-3 Avionics Systems avionics, and RUAG’s payload fairings and composite structures for the new Vulcan Centaur rocket system.

United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) next-generation rocket - the Vulcan Centaur - was making strong progress in development and was on track for its initial flight in mid-2020. The Vulcan Centaur rocket design leverages the proven success of the Delta IV and Atlas V launch vehicles while introducing advanced technologies and innovative features. “Vulcan Centaur will revolutionize spaceflight and provide affordable, reliable access to space for our current and future customers,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “We are well on our way to the introduction of Vulcan Centaur – the future of U.S. rocket manufacturing. With state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing techniques, this rocket was designed specifically for low recurring cost.”

The new rocket design was nearing completion, and the booster preliminary design and critical design reviews have been completed. Vulcan Centaur will have a maximum liftoff thrust of 3.8 million pounds and carry 56,000 pounds to low Earth orbit, 33,000 pounds to a geo-transfer orbit and 16,000 pounds to geostationary orbit with greater capability than any currently available single-core launch vehicle. “Our new rocket will be superior in reliability, cost and capability – one system for all missions,” said Bruno. “We have been working closely with the U.S. Air Force, and our certification plan was in place.”

United Launch Alliance (ULA) marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its next generation Vulcan rocket on Jan. 8 at 2:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Vulcan provides industry-leading capabilities to deliver any payload, at any time, to any orbit.

“Vulcan’s inaugural launch ushers in a new, innovative capability to meet the ever-growing requirements of space launch,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “Vulcan will provide high performance and affordability while continuing to deliver our superior reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets. Vulcan continues the legacy of Atlas as the world’s only high-energy architecture rocket.”

Vulcan will leverage the world’s highest-performing upper stage to deliver on ULA’s industry-leading legacy of reliability and precision. Centaur V’s matchless flexibility and extreme endurance enables the most complex orbital insertions within the most challenging and clandestine orbits. “The successful development and flight of this evolutionary rocket is a true testament to the unrivaled dedication and ingenuity of our workforce,” said Mark Peller, vice president of Vulcan Development. “Vulcan’s purpose-built design leverages the best of what we’ve learned from more than 120 combined years of launch experience with Atlas and Delta, ultimately advancing our nation’s space capability and providing unprecedented mission flexibility.”

The first certification flight (Cert-1) mission included two payloads: Astrobotic's first Peregrine Lunar Lander, Peregrine Mission One (PM1), as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface, and the Celestis Memorial Spaceflights deep space Voyager mission, the Enterprise Flight.

The Cert-1 mission served as the first of two certification flights required for the U.S. Space Force’s certification process. The second certification mission (Cert-2) was planned to launch in the coming months, followed by a summer launch of the first Vulcan mission to support national security space. “As we build on today’s successful launch, the team will continue to work towards our future bi-weekly launch rate to meet our customers’ manifest requirements, while continuing to develop future Vulcan upgrades including SMART reuse plans for downrange, non-propulsive recovery of Vulcan engines,” said Bruno.

Northrop Grumman's 63-inch diameter, extended length Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63XL) solid rocket booster (SRB) will make its debut, supporting the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. At more than 72 feet long, the GEM 63XL is the longest monolithic SRB ever produced for flight, a designation previously held by its predecessor, the 66-foot long, 63-inch diameter GEM 63.

Manufacturing and casting the GEM 63XL as a single piece makes the motors more reliable and efficient by reducing joints, hardware and overall mass. This is crucial for an SRB of this length that can deliver over 463,000 pounds of thrust to enhance the capabilities of rockets launching the nation’s most critical payloads.

To push the boundaries of possible, the team looked to identify what could be achieved using virtual reality to build the next generation of boosters. The fifth-generation GEM 63XL benefits from flight-proven designs and components, advancing the GEM legacy of increasing capabilities. Using virtual reality, GEM design and engineering teams were immersed into 360-degree virtual environments to observe and test life-size boosters. In minutes, engineers created 3D computer-aided design (CAD) renderings, put on headsets and thoroughly examined a full-scale model to validate the design before manufacturing began.

Building GEM 63XLs monolithically rather than segmented provides several efficiency benefits, including:

1. Reducing hardware and overall mass, to enable a greater thrust-to-weight ratio;
2. Reducing motor handling and assembly operations;
3. Reducing field joint interfaces and launch-site assembly support;
4. Streamlining booster mating to core vehicle;
5. Enabling rapid launch cadence scheduling, reducing joints and potential points of failure.

Up to six GEM 63XL SRBs can be integrated with the Vulcan rocket. Together, with the pair of BE-4 engines, powerful liquefied natural gas engines serving as the rocket’s main engine propulsion deliver over 3.3 million pounds of thrust to lift customer payloads to desired orbits. “Larger, more capable rocket motors, including vehicles that support ride-sharing missions are a result of a customer need to place larger, more advanced payloads into space,” said Robert Gonzalez, senior program director, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. The GEM motors have more capabilities, including their design, and building the motors to be shipped directly to the launch pad with little assembly required.

The unique length of the GEM 63XL required buildings, including the rocket motor propellant casting facilities, infrastructure and work cells to be renovated in 2015. The depth of existing casting pits were increased by 20 feet to fit the GEM motors and were modified to include two ports for propellant to be added to two rocket motor cases while using one pit. This process, known as dual casting, improves efficiency, brings cost-savings and increases production.

Northrop Grumman was awarded a new ULA contract in 2022 to increase production of its GEM motors, nearly quadrupling previous production rates to the end of the decade and requiring further expansion of its solid rocket motor manufacturing facilities. The expansion includes new state-of-the art facilities, modernization of existing facilities, purchase of cutting-edge manufacturing equipment and other support equipment to streamline processes, enhance product delivery and increase capacity and output.

ULA had sold more than 70 Vulcan launches to date, including 38 missions for Amazon’s Project Kuiper and multiple national security space launch missions as the part of the country’s Phase 2 launch procurement.