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Vulcan Centaur
 | |
_(cropped).jpg) 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)[1] |
| Size | |
| Height | Standard: 61.6 m (202 ft) Long: 67.3 m (221 ft)[2] |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft)[3] |
| 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)[4] |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Orbital inclination | 27° |
| Mass | 15,300 kg (33,700 lb)[4] |
| Payload to GEO | |
| Mass | 7,000 kg (15,000 lb)[4] |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | 12,100 kg (26,700 lb)[4] |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Operational |
| Launch sites |
|
| Total launches | 2 |
| Success(es) | 2 |
| First flight | 8 January 2024[6] |
| Boosters – GEM-63XL | |
| No. boosters | 0, 2, 4, or 6[7] |
| 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[8] |
| Propellant | AP / HTPB / Al |
| First stage – Vulcan | |
| Height | 33.3 m (109 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Powered by | 2 × BE-4 |
| Maximum thrust | 4,893 kN (1,100,000 lbf)[9] |
| Specific impulse | 340 s (3.3 km/s)[10] |
| Burn time | 299 seconds[11][12] |
| Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
| Second stage – Centaur V | |
| Height | 12.6 m (41 ft)[13] |
| Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Powered by | |
| Maximum thrust |
|
| Specific impulse |
|
| Burn time | 1,077 seconds[9] |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
Vulcan Centaur is a heavy-lift launch vehicle[a] 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.[17]
The Vulcan Centaur had a near perfect first launch on 8 January 2024 carrying the Peregrine lunar lander, the first mission of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It made its second launch, a NSSL certification flight, on 4 October 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.
- ^ Roulette, Joey (26 January 2024). "Vulcan rocket's debut brings long-awaited challenge to SpaceX dominance". Reuters. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Posterwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Peller, Mark. "United Launch Alliance" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Vulcan". United Launch Alliance. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (12 October 2015). "ULA selects launch pads for new Vulcan rocket". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (21 December 2023). "ULA stacks Vulcan rocket for the first time ahead of Jan. 8 debut launch". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ToryBruno 2019was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Propulsion Products Catalog (PDF). Northrop Grumman. p. 39.
- ^ a b Peller, Mark; Wentz, Gary L.; Burkholder, Tom, eds. (16 October 2023). "Vulcan Launch Systems User's Guide" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Jeff Bezos, Tim Dodd (15 August 2024). First Look Inside Blue Origin's New Glenn Factory w/ Jeff Bezos. Event occurs at 1:10:48.
- ^ Jan. 8 LIVE Broadcast: Vulcan Cert-1. United Launch Alliance. Event occurs at 57:11. Retrieved 11 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Vulcan Cert-1". United Launch Alliance. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Kanayama, Lee (9 May 2022). "As Centaur turns 60 years old, ULA prepares to evolve Centaur V". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "United Launch Alliance Selects Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL10 Engine". ULA. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (28 November 2023). "New RL10 engine to be introduced on Vulcan in 2025". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ a b "RL10 Propulsion System Datasheet" (PDF). L3Harris. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ Berger, Eric (5 January 2024). "As Vulcan nears debut, it's not clear whether ULA will live long and prosper". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
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