Vulcan rocket launch: ULA announces debut launch date for Vulcan Centaur rocket

Vulcan Centaur features two Blue Origin-built BE-4 methane/liquid oxygen engines in its first stage and up to six solid rocket boosters. Once operational, it will be able to lift 7.7 tons to geostationary orbit.

For its very first launch, Vulcan will carry three separate payloads to different orbits. One of those, the Peregrine lunar lander from aerospace and robotics company Astrobotic Technology, will be lifted on a trip toward the moon. The debut launch could be postponed due to a number of factors, including the fact that the moon's placement is not always suited to the trajectory required to get the Peregrine lander on its way.

ULA will also soon lift astronauts to the ISS

The other payloads Vulcan Centaur will carry to orbit are a memorial capsule for a firm called Celestis as well as a pair of demonstration satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper internet satellites.

ULA is part of what Amazon has dubbed "the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history." The e-commerce giant has signed a massive agreement with various companies, including ULA and Jeff Bezos's other firm Blue Origin to perform 83 launches for its Project Kuiper service, which aims to compete with SpaceX's Starlink internet satellite mega-constellation.

It’s all coming together 🤝 for #Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT)!

Watch the mating of our crew and service modules and learn more about the production milestone here: https://t.co/WiTll2u5Op pic.twitter.com/H5zdCxe723

— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) January 24, 2023

ULA is also working toward the launch of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) for Boeing's Starliner capsule, which will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket. The company is targeting a May launch for that mission too, which will see Boeing's Starliner launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for the very first time.