Vulcan Centaur
Vulcan Centaur in VC2S configuration ahead of its maiden flight | |
| Function | Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | United Launch Alliance |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Cost per launch | US$110 million (starting) |
| Size | |
| Height | Standard: 61.6 m (202 ft) Long: 67.3 m (221 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Mass | 546,700 kg (1,205,300 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Orbital inclination | 28.7° |
| Mass | 27,200 kg (60,000 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Orbital inclination | 27° |
| Mass | 15,300 kg (33,700 lb) |
| Payload to GEO | |
| Mass | 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | 12,100 kg (26,700 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Operational |
| Launch sites |
|
| Total launches | 2 |
| Success(es) | 2 |
| First flight | January 8, 2024 |
| Last flight | October 4, 2024 |
| Boosters – GEM-63XL | |
| No. boosters | 0, 2, 4, or 6 |
| Height | 21.98 m (865.3 in) |
| Diameter | 1.62 m (63.7 in) |
| Empty mass | 4,521 kg (9,966 lb) |
| Gross mass | 53,030 kg (116,920 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 47,853 kg (105,497 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 2,061 kN (463,249 lbf) each |
| Total thrust | 12,364 kN (2,779,494 lbf) with 6 |
| Specific impulse | 280.3 s (2.749 km/s) |
| Burn time | 87.3 seconds |
| Propellant | AP / HTPB / Al |
| First stage – Vulcan | |
| Height | 33.3 m (109 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Empty mass | 28,600 kg (63,100 lb) |
| Gross mass | 382,000 kg (842,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 × BE-4 |
| Maximum thrust | 4,893 kN (1,100,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 320 s (3.1 km/s) sea level / 340 s (3.3 km/s) vac. |
| Burn time | 299 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
| Second stage – Centaur V | |
| Height | 12.6 m (41 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Empty mass | 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) |
| Gross mass | 24,300 kg (53,600 lb) |
| Powered by | |
| Maximum thrust |
|
| Specific impulse |
|
| Burn time | 1,077 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
Vulcan Centaur is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed and operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). It is a two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle consisting of the Vulcan first stage and the Centaur second stage. Replacing ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, the Vulcan Centaur is principally designed to meet the needs of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, which supports U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department, but ULA believes it will also be able to price missions low enough to attract commercial launches.
ULA began development of the new launch vehicle in 2014, primarily to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out the use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powered the Atlas V. The first launch of the Vulcan Centaur was initially scheduled for 2019 but faced multiple delays due to developmental challenges with its new BE-4 first-stage engine and the Centaur second-stage.
The Vulcan Centaur had a near perfect first launch on January 8, 2024, carrying the Peregrine lunar lander, the first mission of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Its second launch, a NSSL certification flight, took place on October 4, 2024, which achieved an acceptable orbital insertion, despite the nozzle on one of the GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters falling off which led to reduced, asymmetrical thrust. Following a five–month review of the launches, the Space Force certified the Vulcan for NSSL missions in March 2025.