With Vulcan’s certification, Space Force is no longer solely reliant on SpaceX
by Eric Berger from Ars Technica - All content on (#6W6N7)
The US Space Force on Wednesday announced that it has certified United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket to conduct national security missions.
"Assured access to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical element of national security," said Brig. Gen. Panzenhagen, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space, in a news release. "Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency, and flexibility needed by our nation's most critical space-based systems."
The formal announcement closes a yearslong process that has seen multiple delays in the development of the Vulcan rocket, as well as two anomalies in recent years that were a further setback to certification.