Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
2w ago

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Set for First National Security Launch With Experimental NTS-3 Satellite

Resolved certification anomalies clear the path for direct geosynchronous injection of NTS-3, ending reliance on foreign engines.

ULA
The United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket for the USSF-106 mission gets rolled to the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Courtesy/United Launch Alliance)
Image
Pictured is a United Launch Alliance (ULA) photo of the Vulcan rocket rolling from the Government Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. For the East Coast, ULA CEO Tory Bruno says that ULA is adding a second Vertical Integration Facility and a second Vulcan mobile launch platform.

Overview

  • Vulcan Centaur is poised to lift off from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41 on Aug. 12 in a four-booster configuration carrying USSF-106 to geosynchronous orbit.
  • The flight marks Vulcan’s first National Security Space Launch mission after two certification flights and addresses a prior solid rocket booster anomaly.
  • Primary payload is AFRL’s NTS-3, DoD’s first experimental navigation satellite since 1977, set to conduct over 100 PNT experiments including anti-jamming, reprogrammable signals and a phased-array antenna.
  • Officials confirm that previous booster and engine test issues have been resolved, enabling the mission to end US reliance on Russian-made engines and expand launch-provider diversity.
  • A classified secondary payload accompanies NTS-3 on USSF-106, underscoring mission complexity as ULA works through a backlog of 25 contracted Vulcan NSSL launches.