Vulcan Rocket's Debut Launch Crucial for ULA's Future

The successful launch could pave the way for Boeing and Lockheed Martin's sale of their joint venture, United Launch Alliance.

The first launch of the new Vulcan rocket by the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is set to take place at Cape Canaveral next week.
The mission will carry a moon lander aiming to make the first U.S. lunar soft landing in half a century, using engines supplied by Jeff Bezos' space firm Blue Origin for the first time.
The successful launch could prove vital to plans by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to sell their joint venture, ULA.
The Vulcan rocket will replace ULA's current Atlas V rocket, which has drawn criticism for its Russian-imported engines.
The Vulcan rocket is priced lower than its predecessors at roughly $110 million per launch, seeking to reclaim market share from SpaceX's Falcon 9, which is priced at roughly $62 million per launch.