Boeing, Lockheed Martin rocket Vulcan inches toward its first launch

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

That has proved true for the Vulcan, a new rocket developed by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The first Vulcan was supposed to launch in May, but a propellant tank cracked during testing in March. Hydrogen leaking from the tank ignited in a fireball, destroying the Vulcan's upper stage and damaging the test stand.

In a telephone roundtable with reporters on Thursday, Tory Bruno, the CEO of the United Launch Alliance, said the problem was now well understood, a fix was in the works and the first Vulcan launch was expected to occur later this year.Why it matters: Competition in the rocket business In recent years, the business of launching spacecraft and astronauts to orbit has been dominated by SpaceX, the rocket company started and run by Elon Musk. SpaceX's lower prices and prolific launch rate have been a boon to satellite operators, NASA and the US Space Force. But those customers, especially the Space Force, do not want to rely on one company.

The Space Force is requiring the United Launch Alliance to launch two Vulcan missions before it will be confident using the rocket for spy satellites and other national security payloads. The longer it takes the company to complete the first two missions, the longer it will have to wait for that certification.Background: A year of transition A decade ago, United Launch Alliance had a monopoly on national security launches, using its Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, which have had near-flawless flight rockets. But it had almost no commercial customers, because the rockets were expensive.