United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a premier launch services provider formed as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, delivering reliable access to space for U.
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- Centennial, United States
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Boeing and Lockheed Martin (50/50 joint venture)
- Employees
- 2,700as of 2024
Quick Facts
About United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a premier launch services provider formed as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, delivering reliable access to space for U.S. national security, civil government, and commercial customers. The company successfully launched its next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket for the first time on January 8, 2024.
Vulcan Centaur is designed to replace ULA's legacy Atlas V and Delta IV rockets while providing competitive pricing for commercial missions. Powered by Blue Origin BE-4 engines, Vulcan addresses Congressional mandates to phase out Russian-made RD-180 engines used on Atlas V. The second Vulcan launch in October 2024 achieved an acceptable orbital insertion for Space Force certification, despite a solid rocket booster anomaly. Space Force certified Vulcan for National Security Space Launch missions in March 2025.
ULA began Vulcan development in 2014 to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 while meeting national security requirements. The company has sold more than 70 Vulcan launches including 38 missions for Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation and multiple NSSL missions as part of Phase 2 launch procurement. Production of Atlas V ended in 2024, with the Delta rocket family fully retired.
The company maintains the highest mission success rate in the industry, having delivered hundreds of successful launches for critical military, intelligence, and NASA missions. ULA provides assured access to space for the nation's most important payloads, combining Lockheed Martin and Boeing heritage with next-generation Vulcan capabilities to meet evolving national security and commercial space requirements.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vulcan Centaur | Launch vehicle | Heavy-lift rocket certified by the U.S. Space Force for National Security Space Launch missions on 26 March 2025, after two demonstration flights; flies in VC0-VC6 configurations with zero to six solid rocket boosters. |
| Atlas V | Launch vehicle (retiring) | ULA ended new Atlas V production and was flying down its remaining inventory of about 13 built vehicles as of February 2026, alongside Vulcan. |
| Centaur V | Upper stage | Vulcan's upper stage; NASA selected Centaur V in March 2026 to replace the planned Exploration Upper Stage on the Space Launch System starting with Artemis 4, targeted for no earlier than early 2028. |
| BE-4 engine | Rocket propulsion | Methane/liquid-oxygen engine built by Blue Origin that powers Vulcan's first stage, ending ULA's reliance on the Russian-made RD-180 used on Atlas V. |
| GEM-63XL solid rocket booster | Solid rocket booster | Northrop Grumman-built strap-on booster used on Vulcan's four- and six-booster configurations; nozzle/motor anomalies on two of Vulcan's four flights to date (October 2024 and February 2026) prompted a Space Force pause on Vulcan NSSL launches. |
Timeline
- 2024 Vulcan Centaur's first flight (Cert-1) launches 8 January from Cape Canaveral carrying the Peregrine lunar lander, beginning NSSL certification. [source]
- 2024 Vulcan's second certification flight (Cert-2) launches 4 October; a solid rocket booster nozzle falls off about 37 seconds into flight, but the vehicle compensates and achieves an acceptable orbital insertion. [source]
- 2025 The U.S. Space Force certifies Vulcan for National Security Space Launch missions on 26 March, after evaluation across 52 certification criteria and two demonstration flights. [source]
- 2025 Vulcan flies its first NSSL mission, USSF-106, on 12 August, carrying NTS-3 and a classified payload to geosynchronous orbit — ULA's 101st national security mission overall. [source]
- 2025 President and CEO Tory Bruno resigns effective 22 December after nearly 12 years leading ULA; interim COO John Elbon is named interim CEO. [source]
- 2026 Vulcan launches the USSF-87 mission on 12 February carrying two GSSAP satellites; one of the four GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters suffers a nozzle burn-through similar to the October 2024 anomaly, though the mission still succeeds. [source]
- 2026 The Space Force publicly halts Vulcan NSSL launches on 26 February pending an investigation into the recurring GEM-63XL solid rocket motor anomaly, with no timeline given for resolution. [source]
- 2026 NASA confirms selection of ULA's Centaur 5 as the new upper stage for the Space Launch System starting with Artemis 4, disclosed in contract documents published 7 March. [source]
Tory Bruno (CEO)
Team
- John ElbonInterim CEO · source
Signals
- Launch vehicles
- Vulcan Centaur
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-09
Categories & Capabilities
Industry Categories
Vehicle Types
Propulsion Systems
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Frequently asked about United Launch Alliance
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was United Launch Alliance founded?
- United Launch Alliance was founded in 2006 in United States.
- Where is United Launch Alliance headquartered?
- United Launch Alliance is headquartered in Centennial, United States.
- What does United Launch Alliance do?
- United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a premier launch services provider formed as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, delivering reliable access to space for U.S. national security, civil government, and commercial customers. The company successfully launched its next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket for the…
- Is United Launch Alliance a public or private company?
- United Launch Alliance is a privately held company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
- What sector does United Launch Alliance operate in?
- United Launch Alliance works in launch services.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (ulalaunch.com)
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-05
- GLEIF LEI record · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Wikipedia: Vulcan Centaur · retrieved 2026-09-09
- ULA newsroom: Vulcan certified for National Security Space Launch missions (26 Mar 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Spaceflight Now: ULA launches Vulcan rocket on first Space Force mission (13 Aug 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Spaceflight Now: Tory Bruno steps down as President, CEO of ULA (22 Dec 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- ULA newsroom: Statement from Robert Lightfoot and Kay Sears (22 Dec 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Spaceflight Now: Vulcan suffers solid rocket booster problem during USSF-87 launch (12 Feb 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Via Satellite: Booster resurfaces as Vulcan Centaur issue; Space Force halts use for NSSL amid investigation (26 Feb 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Spaceflight Now: NASA contract confirms selection of ULA's Centaur 5 as new upper stage for the SLS rocket (7 Mar 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- SatNews: ULA targets operational acceleration following leadership transition (10 Feb 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about United Launch Alliance is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.