3 publishers · first seen Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:00 UTC · updated Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:00 UTC
United Launch Alliance (ULA) plans to return its Vulcan rocket to flight on November 13, launching 40 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, pending range approval. This mission marks the first Vulcan launch for Amazon after eight Atlas V deployments and follows a stand-down due to a solid rocket booster (SRB) nozzle anomaly during a February flight. The SRB issue occurred on two of the rocket's first four missions, including the most recent one, prompting ULA to implement design and process improvements to the nozzle. Despite the anomalies, the rocket completed its prior missions successfully, including a US Space Force launch. ULA says the upcoming flight will use the improved nozzle design to gather flight data, with testing and analysis continuing in parallel. The launch is critical for ULA's standing with the US Space Force, its primary customer, which certified Vulcan for national security missions in 2025 and will closely monitor the return-to-flight.
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