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Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL Boosters Propel First Certified Flight of ULA Vulcan Rocket
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Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL boosters propel first certified flight of ULA Vulcan rocket
The flight, part of the U.S. Space Force-106 mission, marked the first use of four GEM 63XL boosters together, creating the most powerful Vulcan configuration to date. Northrop Grumman also supplied an ESPAStar spacecraft bus for the Navigation Technology Satellite 3 payload aboard the mission. The launch demonstrated the performance of the company’s solid rocket booster technology in supporting key national security space operations.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has made the first launch of a Vulcan Centaur rocket in its VC4S configuration in the early morning of last day 13. This is a Vulcan with four GEM 63XL solid fuel thrusters and a standard length cofia. It is the first time that it launches this rocket in this configuration. It was also its first launch for the United States Space Force (USSF) in which the main, secret payload was placed directly in geostationary orbi…
Space Systems Launches Satellite Aboard Vulcan Rocket
AUGUST 14, 2025 – The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command partnered with United Launch Alliance for the inaugural National Security Space Launch mission using a Vulcan VC4S (Vulcan with Centaur upper stage and four solid rocket motors) rocket Aug. 12 at 8:56 p.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Spacecraft separation, signaling mission success, occurred approximately seven hours after liftoff…
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