Powerful Vulcan Centaur Rocket Set to Fly Again After 9 Months

ULA is streaming the launch live, with coverage starting 20 minutes before liftoff.

The booster problem behind the gap

Vulcan debuted in January 2024 and has flown three more times. On two of those missions, in October 2024 and February 2026, a solid rocket booster nozzle burned through and fell off about 30 seconds after launch.

The rocket still delivered its payloads to the right orbits both times. Even so, the U.S. Space Force paused national security launches on Vulcan until ULA fixes the problem. Vulcan's third and fourth flights were Space Force missions.

In an October 28 update, ULA said its team had "identified several potential contributors, which have been mitigated through design and process improvements to the nozzle." This flight will use the improved nozzle design, and testing and analysis will continue alongside the mission.

What Amazon gets

The mission, called Vulcan Leo 1, adds to Amazon's broadband network in low Earth orbit. The network was previously called Project Kuiper. It is intended to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, which has operated for several years.

Amazon Leo is planned to reach more than 3,200 satellites. About 400 are already in space, launched over 15 missions on Atlas V, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Arianespace's Ariane 6 rockets. This is the first Amazon Leo mission on Vulcan Centaur.

If the launch goes to plan, Vulcan will release the 40 satellites over a 25-minute span, starting about 70 minutes after liftoff. They will be deployed roughly 270 miles (435 kilometers) above Earth.

A crowded week in spaceflight

Vulcan is the successor to ULA's Atlas V, which has about six launches left on its manifest. SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket on November 13 on a test flight that could feature the first catch attempt of the Ship upper stage. Rocket Lab flew its 100th mission on November 14, sending a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit.