All Eyes Turn to the Next Major Launch- ULA’s Vulcan/ Peregrine Mission

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is encapsulated in the payload fairing, or nose cone, of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket on Nov. 21, 2023, at Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is encapsulated in the payload fairing, or nose cone, of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket on Nov. 21, 2023, at Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA

2023 ended on a high note for NASA with the dual launches of a Falcon Heavy containing the X-37B space plane and a Falcon 9 Starlink mission less than three hours later. That’s a hard act to beat, but now all eyes are turning to another major launch set for January 8th.

Vulcan Completes Wet Dress Rehearsal

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Certification-1 (Cert-1) rocket sits atop Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA) has announced that the Wet Dress Rehearsal of the company’s new Vulcan booster was completed successfully on December 12, clearing the way for the rocket’s inaugural launch on Jan 8, 2024.

New Vulcan Rocket Gets Dressed For Success

A pelican flies in front of ULA's Vulcan Rocket during wet dress rehearsal.
A pelican, oblivious to ULA’s new Vulcan rocket being fueled during a wet dress rehearsal, continues its flight plan undisturbed. Image by Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL. Yesterday’s wet dress rehearsal of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket was a significant event in the lead-up to its inaugural launch. The Vulcan rocket was rolled out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on December 6, 2023, in preparation for this extensive practice countdown​​​​.

NASA’s Ambitious Lunar Delivery Schedule: Over 40 Payloads by 2025

ULA Launch in December Will Herald New Era in US Space Program
Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander
Artist rendering of Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander. Credit: Astrobotic

Kennedy Space Center, FL – NASA’s ambitious plan to deliver over 40 payloads to the moon’s surface through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration.

Aerojet Rocketdyne To Boost RL10 Production in West Palm Beach

An Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-X prototype engine undergoes hot-fire testing at Aerojet Rocketdyne’s facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, is planning to ramp up production of its latest variant of the venerable RL10 rocket engine at the company’s West Palm Beach, Florida facility. The company also plans to add staff at its South Florida facility to enable the higher pace of manufacturing the engine.

ULA Announces Date for Vulcan Rocket Test

A Vulcan booster’s engines are test fired in this undated photo. Photo: ULA

In a Tweet ( or should we say “X”) posted on Thursday, United Launch Alliance announced that they are targeting December 24th for the first launch of their new Vulcan booster. The announcement comes after months of delays due to technical issues. The Vulcan booster will replace ULA’s retiring Atlas V and Delta IV boosters.