Vulcan Rocket Successfully Launches Second Mission

(Reuters) – Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)’s joint venture, United Launch Alliance, announced on Friday that its Vulcan rocket successfully launched its second mission, marking a crucial step towards certification for Pentagon missions.

The Vulcan rocket, designed to replace ULA’s Atlas V rocket and compete with SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9, took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission follows its successful debut in January this year.

With this launch, ULA aims to fulfill flight test obligations and complete its certification process with the U.S. Space Force, which mandates two verification flights before national security payloads can be carried.

ULA stated that the U.S. Space Force, a key customer for Vulcan, will review the mission data and compare it to ULA’s initial certification mission to ensure the vehicle met performance expectations prior to receiving certification.