ULA plans Vulcan return to flight on November 13 from Florida

United Launch Alliance announced plans to return its Vulcan Centaur rocket to flight on November 13, 2026, pending range approval, according to Ars Technica, Air & Space Forces Magazine, and UA.NEWS. The uncrewed mission will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Florida Today and Ars Technica reported. [1][4][5][6]

The return to flight comes nine months after a solid rocket booster anomaly disrupted the company schedule for 2026, Ars Technica reported. The upcoming launch will be the first Vulcan mission to fly with a full complement of six solid rocket boosters following earlier nozzle failures on two of its first four missions. [1]

The rocket will carry 40 satellites into orbit for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation, Ars Technica and UA.NEWS reported. This launch represents the first of 38 planned Vulcan flights that Amazon has booked with United Launch Alliance to deploy the majority of its satellite network. [1][5]

Vulcan Centaur is a heavy lift, two stage launch vehicle consisting of a Vulcan first stage and a Centaur V second stage. United Launch Alliance developed the rocket to replace its Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles, principally targeting the National Security Space Launch program alongside commercial missions. [7]