‘A big day for Florida’: United Launch Alliance rolls out new Vulcan rocket in Cape Canaveral
By Amanda Dukes
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BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — United Launch Alliance unloaded their new Vulcan rocket Sunday at Cape Canaveral.
The Vulcan is designed to take larger satellites and payloads to outer orbits around the Earth.
WESH 2 learned how this new competitor on the Space Coast may be a win for all of Central Florida.
Meet Vulcan! Years in the making, the massive booster was rolled out Sunday in minutes on Cape Canaveral.
“Really excited to have it here,” Gary Wentz said.
Wentz is the vice president of government and commercial programs.
United Launch Alliance, or ULA, says the Vulcan is the largest rocket they have ever made for good reason.
“This rocket is bringing a lot of new capabilities for ULA. The performance of this vehicle far exceeds our current fleet and will provide greater affordability for our customers,” Wentz said.
Wentz believes the Vulcan aims to compete with the other rocket companies in town, providing more options for commercial space industries.
“This vehicle is capable of supporting both crew, and cargo missions to support any ISS or further on requirements,” Wentz said.
Vulcan a win for Florida Dale Ketchum, of Space Florida, said Sunday’s rollout is a win for Central Florida.
“They know what they’re doing and this is bringing a whole new level of capability to the Cape,” Ketchum said.
Ketchum has worked in the space industry for decades and provided WESH 2 with an analysis.
“Oh, there’s no question. It’s bringing a redundant launch capability — that’s fundamental economics. You want to have a variety of ways of achieving your means, whether that’s national security, NASA missions, or the commercial marketplace,” Ketchum said.
It’s a new chapter in the age of spaceflights and another rocket company reaching new heights.
“So, this is a big day for Florida,” Ketchum said. “These big vehicles are continuing to find a role which will get up to 100, 200, 300 launches a year.”
ULA told WESH there are many more steps to take before the Vulcan can liftoff, including inspections, tanking the fuel, and firing up the engines.
If everything runs smoothly, ULA hopes to fly the Vulcan by late spring.
ULA says they will also continue to fly the Atlas rocket in addition to the new Vulcan off Pad 41.
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