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Watch live: Back-to back launches of Vulcan and Ariane 6 rockets

Watch live coverage as two of the world's newest heavy-lift rockets lift off, potentially within minutes of each other. First up is the launch of Europe's Ariane 6 from Kourou in French Guiana. Lifto...

🚀 ULA Vulcan VC4S Launches USSF-106

NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3) is a demonstration navigation satellite. NTS-3 will experiment with a new digital signal generator that can be reprogrammed on-orbit, enabling it to broadcast...

Vulcan USSF-106

The first U.S. national security launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket was the United States Space Force (USSF)-106 mission. Liftoff occurred from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch Date and Time: Aug. 12, 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT (...

USSF-106

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Overview

Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Geosynchronous Orbit Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA Probability: 80%

USSF-106 is a mission for the United States Space Force. The launch will deploy various payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, including the NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3), a demonstration navigation satellite testing a new digital signal generator that can be reprogrammed on-orbit to broadcast new signals, improve performance by avoiding and defeating interference, and adding signatures for detecting spoofing attacks.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates


Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 13, 2025, 12:56 a.m.

Liftoff.


Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 12, 2025, 10:55 p.m.

New T-0.



Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 10, 2025, 2:20 p.m.

Refined launch window.


Vulcan VC4S

Family:
Configuration: VC4S

Vulcan Centaur is a two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2014. It is principally designed to meet launch demands for the U.S. government's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program for use by the United States Space Force and U.S. intelligence agencies for national security satellite launches. It will replace both of ULA's existing launchers (Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy) in this role, as these launchers are retiring.

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Specifications
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Family
  • Name
    Vulcan VC4S
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  • Variant
    VC4S
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  • Full Name
    Vulcan VC4S
Payload Capacity
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United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

Interim CEO: John Elbon Founded: 2006 Successes: 172 Failures: 0 Pending: 39

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI

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On August 12, 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT (0056 UTC), United Launch Alliance successfully launched its Vulcan Centaur VC4S vehicle from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the USSF-106 mission.

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Live coverage: ULA to launch first national security mission on a Vulcan rocket

The mission, dubbed USSF-106, will be the first Vulcan rocket launch since the vehicle was certified by the United States Space Force in late March. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is schedule for 7:59 p.m. EDT (2…

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ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off on a national security mission for the first time this evening. One payload aboard the U.S. Space Force’s USSF-106 mission is the Navigation […]

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ULA launches Vulcan rocket on first Space Force mission

Equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters for additional takeoff power, the 198-foot-tall Vulcan's two methane-fueled BE-4 engines thundered to life at 8:56p.m. EDT, instantly propelling the rocket away from pad 41 at the Cape Canave…

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