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A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket launches the usa-87 mission for the U.S. Pronounce Power on Feb. 12, 2026.
(Image credit: ULA)
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) recent Vulcan Centaur rocket can undoubtedly overcome adversity.
The Vulcan Centaur launched for the fourth time ever on Thursday morning (Feb. 12), carrying two glance satellites aloft for the U.S. Pronounce Power from Cape Canaveral Pronounce Power Station in Florida. Things went neatly, but there modified into a hiccup along the vogue.
“The integrated U.S. government and contractor team is reviewing the technical data, available imagery, and establishing a recovery team to collect any debris,” Wentz added. “We will conduct a thorough investigation, identify root cause, and implement any corrective action necessary before the next Vulcan mission.”
Vulcan Centaur is the successor to ULA’s workhorse Atlas V rocket. It consists of the Vulcan core stage, Centaur better stage and as much as six strap-on trusty rocket boosters (SRBs), which could perhaps well be built by the aerospace firm Northrop Grumman.
The recent rocket debuted in January 2024 with the launch of the personal Peregrine lunar lander. Vulcan Centaur did its job that day, but Peregrine suffered an anomaly after deployment and ended up crashing wait on to Earth.
Vulcan flew for the second time in October 2024, on a take a look at flight designed to ranking it certified for U.S. national security missions. The rocket experienced an anomaly with one of its two SRBs lower than 40 seconds into that flight, causing it to veer a bit of. Nonetheless the Vulcan Centaur adjusted and overcame the situation, reaching its desired orbit.
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ULA declared the mission a success but tranquil performed an investigation, which came upon that the SRB’s nozzle fell off all through flight because of a manufacturing defect.
The Pronounce Power certified Vulcan Centaur for U.S. national security missions in March 2025. The rocket performed its first such flight that August, successfully handing over an experimental navigation satellite to geosynchronous orbit, which lies 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above Earth.
Or no longer it’s too soon to say what introduced on this newest SRB situation and how the paradox will have an effect on Vulcan Centaur operations going forward. We will hold to tackle up for the outcomes of ULA’s investigation, which the Pronounce Power will more than seemingly be following with curiosity.
The armed forces’s Machine Delta 80 personnel at Cape Canaveral “will work closely with ULA per our mission assurance space flightworthiness process before the next Vulcan national security space mission,” Pronounce Power officials mentioned in an emailed assertion after Thursday’s launch.
Michael Wall is a Senior Pronounce Creator with Pronounce.com and joined the personnel in 2010. He basically covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military house, but has been identified to dabble within the house art work beat. His book in regards to the evaluation alien lifestyles, “Out There,” modified into printed on Nov. 13, 2018. Sooner than becoming a science author, Michael labored as a herpetologist and natural world biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s stage from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To search out out what his newest accomplishing is, it’s likely you’ll well presumably follow Michael on Twitter.
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