With Vulcan Rocket in Play, SpaceX Faces Its First Real Challenger in Military Launch Race

Florida, USA - For years, the U.S. military launch scene has been a one-horse race, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy dominating the skies. But that changes now. United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket has just been certified by the U.S. Space Force, officially putting it in the running for high-stakes military missions.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, who oversees assured access to space at the Space Systems Command, made it official on Wednesday. “Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency, and flexibility needed by our nation’s most critical space-based systems,” she said in a statement. Translation? The Pentagon wants more options, and Vulcan is finally ready to deliver.

Eight Years, 52 Tests, and One Expensive Setback

Getting here wasn’t easy. ULA kicked off Vulcan’s certification process back in 2016, knowing full well that its ageing Atlas V and Delta IV rockets wouldn’t cut it forever. The process to get government approval for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions isn’t just about launching a rocket—it’s about proving, beyond a doubt, that the vehicle is flawless for military operations.

For Vulcan, that meant clearing 52 certification criteria, 18 critical subsystem reviews and 114 audits of hardware and software. Two test launches were also required. The first, in January 2024, went smoothly. The second, in October, not so much—one of its Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters failed mid-flight. That mishap triggered a full-scale investigation, delaying certification while engineers figured out what went wrong. The verdict? A manufacturing defect in a booster component.

The problem got fixed, and on Wednesday, ULA finally got the green light. For ULA’s CEO Tory Bruno, it was a moment of vindication. “This next-generation rocket provides high performance and extreme accuracy while continuing to deliver to our customer’s most challenging and exotic orbits,” he said.

Why This Matters: SpaceX Finally Has Competition Again

Before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 came along, ULA was the military’s go-to launch provider. But then the Space Force got tired of ULA’s sky-high costs and started looking for cheaper, more flexible options. Enter SpaceX, which not only delivered but dominated.

In 2020, the military split its NSSL Phase 2 contracts between ULA (60%) and SpaceX (40%), ensuring both companies had work between 2022 and 2027. But with Atlas V and Delta IV retiring, ULA needed Vulcan to step up. Now that it’s officially certified, Vulcan is back in the fight, ensuring SpaceX doesn’t get a monopoly on launching America’s most sensitive payloads.

A Growing Battlefield: More Players Want In

Vulcan isn’t the only challenger gunning for a piece of the military launch market. A wave of new contenders is rising, each hoping to crack the Pentagon’s multi-billion-dollar launch business:

• Blue Origin’s New Glenn – Just completed its first certification flight in January 2024.
• Rocket Lab’s Neutron – Aiming for its maiden flight by December 2025.
• Relativity Space’s Terran R – Targeting 2026.
• Northrop Grumman & Firefly’s Medium Launch Vehicle – Also planning a 2026 debut.

Gen. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. military’s top space officer, is all for the increased competition. Speaking at a Defense One conference on March 20, he put it bluntly: “It was only about 10 years ago when we had one provider and just a few rocket systems. I think we’re on the right trajectory.”

The Space Force isn’t done shaking things up. With more rockets in the mix, competition will drive down costs (ULA can’t keep charging premium prices), increase reliability (More launch options mean less dependence on any one company), and speed up innovation (No one wants to be left behind). For now, SpaceX still leads the pack—especially with Starship on the horizon. But Vulcan Centaur just made it clear: ULA isn’t out of the game yet.