Vulcan rocket fails in major setback for United Launch Alliance
The loss of its new Vulcan rocket was the first outright failure for United Launch Alliance, a major setback in the commercial launch industry.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) experienced a major setback as its new heavy-lift Vulcan rocket failed during a launch attempt on Sunday, causing the payload of 40 Amazon Leo internet satellites to be lost. The rocket, launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, suffered an anomaly 10 minutes into the flight and failed to deliver the satellites into orbit.
ULA stated that the investigation will determine the cause and corrective action, aiming to return to flight as quickly as possible. This marks the first outright failure of a ULA rocket since their formation in 2006, a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The Vulcan is set to replace ULA's Atlas 5 rockets, but the failure may result in a grounding while engineers review telemetry and implement fixes.
The launch was only the fifth for a Vulcan rocket and the first in nine months, following two earlier issues with the strap-on solid-fuel boosters. Amazon had booked 38 Vulcan flights for its Leo satellite constellation, which competes with Elon Musk's Starlink and other internet providers. The incident will delay ULA's launch schedule and the progress of the Leo satellite constellation, adding to the challenges for Amazon and its competitors in the space-based internet market.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
