Other meanings of Vulcan Centaur
Spaceflight
The Vulcan Centaur is an American heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA), first flown in January 2024. It succeeds the Atlas V and Delta IV families, incorporating a new methane-fueled first stage and a Centaur upper stage. Designed primarily for national security and commercial payloads, Vulcan Centaur also serves as the launch vehicle for the Sierra Space Dream Chaser and the first two missions of Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander.
Vulcan Centaur was developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA) to replace the Atlas V and Delta IV, with the goal of reducing costs and ending reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines. The first stage is powered by two Blue Origin BE-4 engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a departure from the kerosene-fueled Atlas V. The upper stage is a stretched version of the Centaur, using RL10 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne. The vehicle is designed to be partially reusable, with the first-stage engines and avionics module recoverable via parachute and mid-air capture, though this capability has not yet been demonstrated.
The maiden flight, designated Cert-1, launched on January 8, 2024, carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander. The mission achieved orbit but the Peregrine lander suffered a propellant leak and failed to reach the Moon. The second flight, Cert-2, launched on October 4, 2024, carrying a mass simulator and a dummy payload for certification. Both flights were successful, and ULA completed the certification process for national security missions in 2025. The vehicle has since been used for military launches, including the USSF-106 and USSF-87 missions.
Vulcan Centaur is offered in multiple configurations, with 0, 2, 4, or 6 solid rocket boosters (SRBs) to match payload requirements. The baseline configuration can lift about 27.2 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 7.7 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit. The vehicle uses a 5.4-meter payload fairing, with options for extended lengths. A crewed variant, Vulcan Centaur Crew, has been proposed for future NASA missions, though no crewed flights are currently scheduled. The vehicle is also designed to support the Dream Chaser spaceplane, which will fly on Vulcan for cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station.
Vulcan Centaur's development was marked by several notable challenges and decisions. The BE-4 engine, originally developed for Blue Origin's New Glenn, faced delays that pushed the first launch from 2019 to 2024. The vehicle's name was chosen in a public contest, with 'Vulcan' referencing the Roman god of fire and 'Centaur' honoring the Centaur upper stage lineage. ULA has also explored using Vulcan for the US Air Force's Rocket Cargo program, which envisions point-to-point cargo delivery via rocket. Additionally, the Centaur V upper stage is designed to be capable of long-duration missions, enabling direct-to-geostationary orbit insertions and deep-space missions.
Vulcan Centaur is a key element of ULA's strategy to maintain competitiveness in the commercial and national security launch market.
Help improve the encyclopedia. Reports go straight to the site manager.