ULA Targets November 13 for Vulcan Rocket Return After Booster Failures

Space launch customers who rely on United Launch Alliance will see a resumption of service next month. The company has set a target date of November 13 to fly its Vulcan rocket again. This launch comes nearly nine months after a solid rocket booster issue stopped the company's schedule in 2026. ULA announced the date on Wednesday, though the flight still needs final range clearance.

The mission will carry 40 satellites for Amazon's Leo broadband network. This marks the first of 38 flights Amazon has booked to build out its constellation. The rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The flight serves as a direct test of the hardware changes ULA made to the vehicle.

Vulcan has faced reliability questions since it entered service. Nozzle failures occurred on the solid rocket boosters during two of the rocket's first four missions. The most recent failure happened in February. In both instances, the rocket completed its assigned tasks despite the issues. However, the February incident led to a grounding that disrupted operations for the rest of the year.

The US Space Force lost confidence in the vehicle after the February event. The Pentagon uses Vulcan for about half of its major launches through the early 2030s. The agency certified the rocket for national security missions in 2025 and flew two such missions before the grounding. Space Force officials are expected to monitor the upcoming flight closely to assess the fix.

ULA states its engineers have identified several potential causes for the February booster problem. The company says it has addressed these issues through design and process changes to the nozzle. The November 13 flight will use this improved design. Additional testing and analysis will continue while the rocket is in orbit.

In a statement, ULA explained that flying the new design provides necessary flight data. The company said this data validates the improvements and supports its customer base. If the launch proceeds on schedule, it will be the first Vulcan flight since the February anomaly. The outcome will determine if the nozzle fixes restore trust among government and commercial clients.