The United States Space Force has officially certified United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. This certification follows an extensive evaluation process, including two successful certification flights.

With this approval, ULA is now authorized to conduct NSSL missions, enhancing the nation’s assured access to space by having multiple unique launch service vehicles across multiple vendors.​ The government seeks this not for operational convenience but instead for tactical agility.

NSSL certification encompasses 52 criteria, involving over 180 specific tasks. These tasks included two certification flight demonstrations, 60 verifications of payload interface requirements, 18 subsystem design and test reviews, and 114 hardware and software audits. This rigorous assessment established the technical foundation for future flightworthiness evaluations. ​

“The SSC and ULA teams have worked together extremely closely, and certification of this launch system is a direct result of their focus, dedication, and teamwork,” said Gen Panzenhagen, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket features the Centaur V upper stage, measuring 5.4 meters in diameter and 11.7 meters in length, with a propellant capacity of 120,000 pounds. Constructed from pressure-stabilized, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the Centaur V utilizes two RL10C engines fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This design aims to provide enhanced performance and flexibility for complex orbital insertions. ​

“Thank you to all our customer partners who have worked hand-in-hand with us throughout this comprehensive certification process. We are grateful for the collaboration and excited to reach this critical milestone in Vulcan development,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO.“Vulcan is uniquely designed to meet the challenging requirements demanded by an expanding spectrum of missions for U.S. national security space launches. Moreover, this next-generation rocket provides high performance and extreme accuracy while continuing to deliver to our customer’s most challenging and exotic orbits.”

Flown Twice Successfully, With One Issue

In its inaugural launch on January 8, 2024, the Vulcan Centaur successfully deployed the Peregrine lunar lander. Despite a propulsion issue with the lander that prevented a lunar landing, the Vulcan Centaur performed as intended. A subsequent certification flight on October 4, 2024, experienced a nozzle anomaly on one of the solid rocket boosters but still achieved the mission’s objectives. ​

With the Vulcan Centaur’s certification, ULA plans to support multiple NSSL missions in the coming years.