The US military has given approval for United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket to carry a batch of national security satellites into space. The rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, at 7:59 pm EDT on Tuesday.
The Vulcan rocket will transport an experimental military navigation satellite into geosynchronous orbit over the equator, approximately 22,000 miles away. While details about the satellite’s payload are not publicly disclosed, officials from the US Space Force have confirmed that it has been extensively tested and validated.
ULA conducted two demonstration missions in 2024 to test its new launch vehicle before earning operational approval from the Space Force. The company now plans to fulfill over 70 Vulcan launches sold to commercial and government customers, with Amazon and the US Space Force being the largest users.
For this mission, ULA has opted for four solid rocket boosters instead of two used in previous test flights. These new boosters are larger versions of those flown on previous rockets for 35 years and address concerns following a nozzle failure during the second Vulcan test flight last October.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/space-force-officials-take-secrecy-to-new-heights-ahead-of-key-rocket-launch