The Space Force is still analyzing data from the Oct. 4 launch, but so far officials expect to approve certification of the Vulcan rocket, Horn said. The agreement between the Space Force and ULA requires two successful flights of a Vulcan rocket before the Army can entrust it with a national security mission.
“For the purposes of the certification plan, which requires that the certification flight successfully deliver the satellite or payload — in this case, the mass simulator — to its designated orbit… that’s what happened,” Horn said. “So this was a successful completion of that mission.”
He added that preliminary assessments conducted by the Space Force show that if the same booster anomaly had occurred on either of the first two military missions scheduled to be launched on Vulcan, the rocket could have reached the target orbit, with a performance margin.
“The Cert journey has been a success, and we are now immersed in finalizing certification,” Horn said.
Launch date TBD
But it may take a little longer than planned for the Space Force or ULA to sign the final paperwork to close the certification process.
Engineers from ULA, booster supplier Northrop Grumman, the Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, and NASA are participating in the investigation of the nozzle malfunction. Last week, a ULA spokesperson told Ars that the company recovered parts of the nozzle that fell from the rocket near the launch pad to assist in the investigation.
“I think when people zoom in on the video, they see thrust and the burning of hot gas, perhaps at the bottom of the rocket section,” Horn said.
The second flight of ULA’s Vulcan rocket is on its way to orbit.
An unusual plume from one of the solid rocket boosters, accompanied by slag or sparks, appeared at about T+37 seconds.
However, ULA reported nominal performance from the early phase of the flight. pic.twitter.com/VewQyxfOdp
– Stephen Clark (@StephenClark1) October 4, 2024
ULA CEO Tory Bruno posted on X shortly after the Oct. 4 launch that preliminary results suggested the rocket envelope itself did not burn, which would allow superheated gas to escape the booster. However, there were visible indications of a plume of hot exhaust appearing above the bell-shaped nozzle, perhaps near where it was attached to the main body of the booster.
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