This is a list of launches made by the Vulcan Centaur rocket, first launched January 8, 2024.
Peregrine Mission One was a lunar lander built by Astrobotic Technology, selected as a part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It was launched on the maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur on 8 January 2024, 07:18 UTC.[1] The Vulcan Centaur successfully placed Peregrine into trans-lunar injection, however, following a fuel leak with the spacecraft unrelated to the Vulcan Centaur, the lander failed in its attempt to land on the moon.[2]
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Flight No. | Date / time (UTC) | Rocket, configuration |
Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 January 2024, 07:18 |
Vulcan Centaur VC2S | CCSFS, SLC-41 | Peregrine lander | 1,283 kg (2,829 lb) | TLI | Astrobotic Technology | Success[3] |
Enterprise (space burial) | Heliocentric | Celestis | ||||||
Maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur. Vulcan Certification-1 mission, the first of two launches needed to certify the rocket for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. Payload from Celestis, demonstrated engine restart capability of the Centaur upper stage delivering multiple payloads to different orbits. The Peregrine payload failed in transit to the Moon, precluding a landing attempt, due to reasons unrelated to the launch vehicle.[4] |
Date / time (UTC) | Rocket, configuration |
Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Customer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Early September[5] | Vulcan Centaur VC2S[6] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | Mass Simulator | TBA | United Launch Alliance |
Certification-2 mission, the second of two launches needed to certify the rocket for NSSL missions. Originally scheduled to carry the first flight of Dream Chaser, but due to schedule delays with Dream Chaser, ULA will fly an inert payload, experiments, and demonstrations.[5] | |||||
December 2024[7] | Vulcan Centaur VC4[8][9] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | USSF-106 / NTS-3[10] | GEO | U.S. Space Force |
USSF-106 mission. First NSSL mission for Vulcan Centaur.[11] | |||||
December 2024[12] | Vulcan Centaur VC4 | CCSFS, SLC-41 | USSF-87 (GSSAP 7 &8)[13] | GEO | U.S. Space Force |
USSF-87 Mission. It will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness satellites, GSSAP-7 and 8, directly to a geosynchronous orbit. |
Date / time (UTC) | Rocket, configuration |
Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Customer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 2025[14] | Vulcan Centaur VC2S[15] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | GPS-III SV07 | MEO | U.S. Space Force |
First GPS mission for Vulcan Centaur. | |||||
2025[5] | Vulcan Centaur VC4L[9] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | SNC Demo-1 (Dream Chaser Tenacity.1) | LEO (ISS) | NASA (CRS) |
First flight of Dream Chaser. Originally scheduled to fly on Vulcan Certification-2 mission. | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur VC2S[15] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | GPS-III SV08 | MEO | U.S. Space Force |
Eighth GPS Block III navigation satellite. | |||||
2025[17] | Vulcan Centaur VC2S[15] | CCSFS, SLC-41 | GPS-III SV09 | MEO | U.S. Space Force |
Ninth GPS Block III navigation satellite. | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur VC4 | CCSFS, SLC-41 | NROL-64 | TBA | NRO |
First NRO launch on Vulcan | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur | VSFB, SLC-3E | NROL-83 | TBA | NRO |
Classified NRO payload. First Vulcan Centaur launch from Vandenberg | |||||
2025[18] | Vulcan Centaur | CCSFS, SLC-41 | PTS-P | GEO | U.S. Space Force |
Protected Tactical Satcom prototype payload. The PTS payload will fly on dedicated Northrop Grumman built ESPAStar-HP satellite bus. | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur | VSFB, SLC-3E | SDA T1TR-B | LEO | SDA |
Tranche 1 Tracking Layer B missile tracking satellites. | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur | VSFB, SLC-3E | SDA T1TR-D | LEO | SDA |
Tranche 1 Tracking Layer D missile tracking satellites. | |||||
2025[14] | Vulcan Centaur VC4 | CCSFS, SLC-41 | USSF-112 | TBA | U.S. Space Force |
Classified payload. | |||||
2025[16] | Vulcan Centaur | VSFB, SLC-3E | USSF-114 | TBA | U.S. Space Force |
Classified payload. | |||||
2025[14][19] | Vulcan Centaur | CCSFS, SLC-41 | WGS-11 | GEO | U.S. Space Force |
Military communications satellite. |
Date / time (UTC) | Rocket, configuration |
Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Customer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NLT 2027[20][17] | Vulcan Centaur | CCSFS, SLC-41[21] | DRACO Demo (USSF-25) | LEO | U.S. Space Force |
Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) is a DARPA program to demonstrate a working nuclear thermal rocket in space. |