ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket arrives at Cape Canaveral to prepare for first flight with Amazon, Astrobotic payloads.
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) has unveiled its new Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is set to make its debut flight in the coming months. The 202-foot-tall (67 meters) booster was delivered from ULA’s rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama, to Port Canaveral near its launch site, Cape Canaveral Space Force station. The rocket is equipped with a Centaur V upper stage and up to six solid rocket boosters to power its way to space. Its first stage is powered by two BE-4 methane-liquid oxygen engines built by Blue Origin.
The Vulcan Centaur is set to replace ULA’s workhorse Atlas V and Delta IV rockets for commercial and government missions. Its first mission is targeted for the first quarter of this year and will launch two prototype internet satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper and the Peregrine moon lander built by the company Astrobotic. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will carry 24 payloads to the moon, including 11 for NASA as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services project.
The Vulcan Centaur will now undergo a series of checks and tests, and ultimately be assembled for flight at ULA’s facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. ULA CEO Tory Bruno shared a time-lapse video of the booster’s components rolling off the RocketShip barge and also wrote on Twitter, “I don’t know about you guys, but I just never get tired of seeing this.”
The Vulcan Centaur is a major milestone for the ULA, and is expected to revolutionize the aerospace industry. It will be the first of a new generation of rockets, and will be used for a variety of commercial and government missions. It is also the first rocket to be powered by two BE-4 methane-liquid oxygen engines, and will be used to launch two prototype internet satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper and the Peregrine moon lander.
The Vulcan Centaur is a major step forward for the ULA, and will be a key player in the aerospace industry. It will be used for a variety of commercial and government missions, and will be the first rocket to be powered by two BE-4 methane-liquid oxygen engines. It is also set to launch two prototype internet satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper and the Peregrine moon lander, which will carry 24 payloads to the moon, including 11 for NASA as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services project. With its components in Cape Canaveral, the Vulcan Centaur is ready to take the aerospace industry to the next level.
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