United Launch Alliance | The Verge

Russia says it will no longer sell rocket engines to the United States

2022-03-03T12:08:13-05:00

ULA’s Atlas V rocket flies on Russia’s RD-180 engine. | Image: ULA

Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos has issued its latest round of threats in response to global sanctions, this time claiming Russia will no longer sell rocket engines to the United States. Most rocket launches in the US should not be affected, but the decision could change how cargo is sent to the International Space Station.

The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, announced the new policy in an interview with the Russia 24 TV channel. "Today we have made a decision to halt the deliveries of rocket engines produced by NPO Energomash to the United States," Rogozin said in the interview, according to Russia's state press site Tass. "L …

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ULA stops selling its centerpiece Atlas V, setting path for the rocket’s retirement

2021-08-26T15:30:07-04:00

United Launch Alliance won't be selling any more of its workhorse Atlas V rockets, and it has stopped buying the launch vehicle's Russian-made rocket engines for good, the company's chief executive told The Verge. ULA's decision sets up the retirement of one of the US government's most trusted launch vehicles and is expected to mark the end for Russia's iconic - but controversial - RD-180 engine, an engineering marvel and a core source of revenue for Russia's space program.

"We're done. They're all sold," CEO Tory Bruno said of ULA's Atlas V rockets in an interview. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has 29 Atlas V mis …

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Once again, ULA delays launch of its rocket carrying classified spy satellite

2020-10-01T07:00:00-04:00

Update October 1st, 7AM ET: Yet again, ULA stopped the launch mere seconds before takeoff, after a sensor reported a faulty reading. The main combustion chambers in the engines did not ignite, and CEO Tory Bruno says the rocket and the payload are "safe and unharmed."

Original story: After many weeks of delays due to faulty equipment and bad weather, the United Launch Alliance is set to launch its most powerful rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lofting a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The mission is finally ready to fly a full month after the rocket's first launch attempt, which was aborted just three se …

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SpaceX still pressing ahead with its Air Force lawsuit, despite winning coveted Air Force contract

2020-08-20T10:06:00-04:00

SpaceX is still pressing ahead with its lawsuit against the Air Force over rocket development money the company didn't receive two years ago - despite just winning a more than $300 million contract from the Air Force to launch military satellites during the 2020s. In a new court document, SpaceX is arguing that not getting the funds caused "substantial harm" that still remains.

On August 7th, the Air Force selected two companies - SpaceX and rival United Launch Alliance - as its primary launch providers that will launch the bulk of the Defense Department's satellites between 2022 and 2026. The two companies beat out Blue Origin and Northrop …

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How to watch NASA launch its next rover to Mars

2020-07-30T05:00:00-04:00

On Thursday morning, NASA is scheduled to launch its next rover to Mars, the beginning of a years-long mission to figure out if the Red Planet ever hosted life. The rover, called Perseverance, is equipped with instruments to look for evidence of ancient Martian microbes, but its prime goal is to excavate samples and leave them on Mars - so that one day they can be returned to Earth for study. There's even a tiny helicopter aboard named Ingenuity.

Perseverance's ride to Mars is the Atlas V rocket, made and operated by the United Launch Alliance. Atlas V rockets have previously flown four NASA missions to Mars, including the Curiosity rover, …

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The Air Force’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane successfully launches to space on sixth mission

2020-05-16T10:30:41-04:00

Update May 17th, 9:30AM ET: The X-37B successfully took off at 9:14AM ET on Sunday, though ULA ended live coverage of the mission early at the request of the Air Force.

Original Story: The Air Force's mysterious spy spaceplane, dubbed the X-37B, is headed back to space on Sunday morning for its sixth mission in Earth orbit. As usual with this spacecraft, its exact purpose is a secret, though the Air Force says the vehicle will be carrying a number of experiments on this trip and testing out new systems in space before returning them to Earth.

This launch comes a little more than six months after the X-37B returned home from its record-brea …

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ULA targeting first launch for the US Space Force this afternoon during pandemic

2020-03-26T09:44:11-04:00

The United Launch Alliance is on track to launch a communications satellite for the US Space Force out of Cape Canaveral, Florida this afternoon - the company's first flight for the newly minted military branch. The flight is happening against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced other rocket companies to stand down from their missions to space.

For ULA, the pandemic has not stopped the company's ability to move forward with launch preparations, though they did make some adjustments to protect their workers. In early March, before state governments started issuing lockdowns, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said that the company had is …

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A mandate to fly NASA’s mission to Europa on a delayed rocket could cost an extra $1 billion

2019-08-28T12:18:46-04:00

An animation of NASA’s future Europa Clipper spacecraft. | Image: NASA

NASA's inspector general is urging Congress to reconsider a mandate specifying which rocket the space agency's upcoming mission to Jupiter's moon Europa must fly on. Right now, NASA is legally obligated to fly the mission on the next big rocket that the space agency is developing, known as the Space Launch System or SLS. But that vehicle is years away from being ready, and the inspector general argues that changing the rocket to another one that's already in operation could save taxpayers up to $1 billion.

NASA's mission to Europa is currently slated for launch in 2023, and it'll aim to get the closest view yet of the Jovian moon. The proje …

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Watch as ULA launches the final flight of its Delta IV Medium rocket

2019-08-22T07:00:00-04:00

This morning, August 22nd, the United Launch Alliance is set to fly the very last mission of its Delta IV Medium rocket, a single-core vehicle that's been launching to space since 2002. This final flight will be the 29th mission of the Delta IV Medium. The vehicle is now being retired as ULA works to consolidate its technology and develop a new generation of rockets.

The Delta IV is the last remaining descendant of the Delta family of rockets, a long line of vehicles that date back to the birth of the modern space era. The original Deltas, built by the Douglas Aircraft Company (now part of Boeing), were derived from an old Air Force ballist …

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The government’s plan to update rocket launch licensing is pissing off the commercial space industry

2019-08-20T12:22:28-04:00

To address the rapid growth of the commercial space industry, the Trump administration has vowed to streamline the licensing process for rocket launches. But as the government has taken steps to fulfill this task, some in the commercial space industry are crying foul, arguing that the administration is poised to make changes that may make regulations more demanding than they were before.

To launch a rocket, companies must get a series of licenses, including one from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA isn't so much focused on what a company is launching, but it mostly deems a rocket safe to the uninvolved public and property. Curre …

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