Launch Vehicle
Vulcan
NASA/Ben Smegelsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
- Developer
- United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture
- First Launch
- January 8, 2024
- Status
- Active
- Payload to LEO
- Up to ~27 t (with 6 boosters)
- Payload to GTO
- Up to ~15 t (with 6 boosters)
- Payload to Escape
- ~11.3 t to trans-lunar injection (VC6)
- Total Launches
- 4 as of February 2026
- Success Rate
- 100% (all payloads reached their intended orbits; two booster anomalies, see Notable)
Vulcan, officially Vulcan Centaur, is United Launch Alliance’s heavy-lift rocket, built to replace its Atlas V and Delta IV. ULA is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin and has been one of the main launch providers for the U.S. government since 2006.
The first stage is powered by two BE-4 engines, built by rival Blue Origin and burning liquid methane and oxygen. The Centaur V upper stage uses two RL10 engines, burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Up to six solid rocket boosters can be strapped on for heavier payloads, letting the same rocket cover everything from medium satellites to large cargo bound for the Moon.
Vulcan’s first flight, in January 2024, sent Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander toward the Moon. The rocket performed perfectly, though the lander failed after separating. Two later flights each saw a solid booster malfunction, and although both still reached orbit, the second, in February 2026, led the Space Force to pause its Vulcan launches pending a fix.
Variants
Named by the number of strap-on solid boosters: VC0, VC2, VC4, VC6 (0, 2, 4 or 6). A letter gives the fairing length: S (standard, 15.5 m) or L (long, 21.3 m), e.g. VC4S, VC6L.
Notable Missions
First flight carried Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander toward the Moon (the rocket worked perfectly; the lander failed afterward). Two booster anomalies, October 2024 and February 2026, each lost thrust from one solid booster, but the core stage compensated and reached orbit. Certified for U.S. national security launches in March 2025. Its first stage uses two methane-fueled BE-4 engines built by Blue Origin. Its upper stage, Centaur V, has reportedly been selected to replace the upper stage on NASA’s SLS for Artemis IV and V.
Beyond LEO Missions
1 mission tracked
Planned 1
Oracle Mission: Keeping Watch Between Earth and the Moon
Vulcan (Oracle-M, secondary payload); Oracle-P TBD