Tag: NGLS
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Northrop Grumman looking into dramatic nozzle anomaly on Omega rocket motor
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Near the end of a ground-shaking test firing of Northrop Grumman’s solid-propellant Castor 600 rocket motor — the first stage of a new booster being designed to launch spy satellites and other national security payloads — a major part of the rocket’s big nozzle appeared to break apart,…
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Reviewers approve early design work on new Vulcan rocket
Vulcan is visualized here in its 441 configuration. Credit: United Launch Alliance CAPE CANAVERAL — Work to create a new all-American rocket, the United Launch Alliance Vulcan-Centaur, has passed its first major hurdle for its first flight in three years, officials announced Thursday. The Preliminary Design Review for the next-generation vehicle was recently completed and…
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ULA needs commercial customers to close Vulcan rocket business case
Artist’s concept of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Credit: ULA United Launch Alliance will need to lure commercial customers to ensure the economic viability of its new Vulcan rocket, which is set to debut in 2019 just as the rate of U.S. military satellite launches is due to take a dip. The Vulcan rocket must fly at…
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ULA sees clean handover of Boeing crew launches to Vulcan rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL — United Launch Alliance vows a “seamless” switch from the Atlas 5 to the new Vulcan rocket in launches of Boeing’s astronaut taxis. ULA is the launch provider of Boeing’s CST-100 capsule under NASA’s commercial crew program that will start ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil in 2017. On…
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Certification process begins for Vulcan to carry military payloads
Delta 4-Heavy (left) and the new Vulcan rocket (right). Credit: ULA CAPE CANAVERAL — The heavy-lift version of the United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket will sell for half the price of today’s Delta 4-Heavy and a third of the price tag for the previous Titan 4, while offering a substantial increase in performance for…
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ULA gets futuristic
CAPE CANAVERAL — United Launch Alliance revealed its visionary approach to space exploration in the next decade courtesy of the Vulcan rocket’s new, long-duration upper stage that can be fitted with as many as four engines to perform cargo resupply and astronaut transportation to far-flung destinations. “This is the real game-changer,” Tory Bruno, the CEO…
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ULA chief explains reusability and innovation of new rocket
A sample illustration of mid-air recovery of main engine section. Credit: ULA CAPE CANAVERAL — United Launch Alliance will salvage the main engines through a mid-air recovery plan and reuse them again aboard the company’s new Vulcan rocket, saving 90 percent in booster propulsion costs, the company announced Monday. It is dubbed SMART Reuse, or…
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ULA plans to introduce new rocket one piece at a time
Artist’s concept of ULA’s Next Generation Launch System. Credit: ULA United Launch Alliance is expected to reveal its design for a next generation satellite launcher Monday, outlining a 20-year roadmap to develop a new methane-powered first stage booster, an advanced space tug and a reusable rocket engine. The launch company, formed in 2006 by merging…
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Artwork: ULA Vulcan rocket revealed
These are artist’s concepts and press conference briefing slides from the United Launch Alliance unveiling of its new Vulcan rocket to debut in 2019. Credit: ULA
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ULA unveils its future with the Vulcan rocket family
An artist’s concept of the Vulcan. Credit: ULA CAPE CANAVERAL — Meet the Vulcan, the next-generation rocket family brought to you by United Launch Alliance that comes with a bold reusability plan, multiple configurations for medium- to heavy-lift, all-American engines and serves as the eventual replacement for the historic Atlas and Delta rocket lines. ULA…