--- title: "Vulcan Rocket Returns to Service on November 13" url: https://noti.group/vulcan-rocket-returns-to-service-on-november/ language: en publisher: "Noti Group" section: "Technology" published: 2026-10-28T22:51:15.000Z updated: 2026-10-29T02:50:33.325Z id: bb5eac71-128a-4486-93d9-79e8efda712f source: "Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/ulas-vulcan-rocket-is-set-to-return-to-flight-on-friday-the-13th/" attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/vulcan-rocket-returns-to-service-on-november/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Vulcan Rocket Returns to Service on November 13 United Launch Alliance has announced plans to return its Vulcan rocket to service on November 13, nine months after a solid rocket booster anomaly halted operations and put its 2026 launch schedule at risk. United Launch Alliance (ULA) has announced plans to return its Vulcan rocket to service on November 13, nine months after a solid rocket booster anomaly halted operations and put its 2026 launch schedule at risk. The comeback mission will carry 40 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation, marking the first of 38 Vulcan flights Amazon has booked to deploy its network. The satellites are crucial for establishing a comprehensive internet connectivity system for remote areas worldwide. This endeavor is a significant milestone for ULA and Amazon. According to reports, the launch will take place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, subject to range approval. A spokesperson for ULA confirmed that the launch date remains pending clearance from relevant authorities. The company's return-to-flight mission has garnered attention due to its significance for the industry. The Vulcan rocket was grounded after experiencing nozzle failures on two of its first four missions, including a recent incident in February. Although the rocket successfully completed its objectives despite these issues, officials at the US Space Force lost confidence in the vehicle. This setback had major implications for ULA's operations and schedules. Space Force officials will closely monitor the return-to-flight mission to assess Vulcan's performance and restore faith in the rocket. The Pentagon has entrusted ULA with roughly half of its national security launches through the early 2030s, making this comeback critical for both parties. United Launch Alliance (ULA) has made significant progress in understanding the anomaly that occurred during a February booster failure. Engineers have identified several potential causes and implemented design and process improvements to mitigate these issues. As part of its efforts to resolve the problem, ULA will use an improved nozzle design for this week's launch. This decision is intended to provide valuable flight data that validates the changes made to the nozzle. The company believes that flying the improved design will be beneficial to all its customers. Despite significant progress in understanding the anomaly, neither ULA nor Northrop Grumman has publicly identified the root cause of the problem. Investigators have suggested that a manufacturing defect in an insulator may have contributed to the issue, which first occurred in 2024. The Space Force relies heavily on ULA for its satellite launches, including communications, navigation, missile warning, and surveillance satellites. The company is currently scheduled to deliver these critical payloads into orbit using the Vulcan rocket. Amazon Leo, a potential competitor to SpaceX's Starlink network, also has an inventory of broadband satellites waiting for launch on the Vulcan rocket. With ULA's backlog of military launches and Amazon Leo's commercial satellites, this week's flight is crucial for both parties involved. The recent delays experienced by United Launch Alliance (ULA) have led to a significant shift in the launch schedule for several military missions. In an effort to expedite these launches, the Space Force has reassigned six missions originally intended for ULA's Vulcan rocket to SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. This move comes as a result of the delays that have plagued ULA's operations. Among the missions affected by this change are three GPS satellites that were previously scheduled to launch on ULA's Vulcan rocket but will now be launched on SpaceX's Falcon 9s instead. These launches took place last year and earlier this year, demonstrating the flexibility of the Space Force in adapting to changing circumstances. The swaps also included a mission for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Oracle-M lunar project, which was initially assigned to ULA's Vulcan rocket but will now launch on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. In compensation, ULA will receive a future launch that was originally assigned to SpaceX. A similar swap has been made to move a large strategic missile warning satellite from ULA's Vulcan rocket to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. The US military is still waiting for data from commercial flights on ULA's Vulcan rocket before giving it the green light to resume national security launches. Brigadier General Eric Zarybnisky, chief of Space Systems Command's rocket procurement team, emphasized that the military wants to see tangible results from these flights. These commercial missions will provide valuable insights into the performance and reliability of the Vulcan launch vehicle. According to Zarybnisky, the data collected from these flights will inform decisions on clearing ULA for national security launches, taking into account both ground-based testing and flight data from the commercial missions. The upcoming Vulcan launch is significant as it will feature a full complement of six solid rocket boosters, marking the first time this configuration has been used. The flight will also debut an extended payload fairing designed to accommodate Amazon's satellite stack and a shortened Centaur upper stage optimized for low-Earth orbit missions. --- Source: [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/ulas-vulcan-rocket-is-set-to-return-to-flight-on-friday-the-13th/) Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/vulcan-rocket-returns-to-service-on-november/