What to know: ULA Vulcan rocket to launch national security mission from Cape Canaveral

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It's been awhile since Florida has seen a Vulcan rocket launch, but United Launch Alliance is pushing ahead to break that drought.
While an official launch date is yet to come, ULA has announced the upcoming USSF-106 mission for the Space Force. The company has also teased photos of the red and white Vulcan rocket in the process of being stacked for launch.
The long awaited liftoff will be from Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As it is a national security mission, the payload remains undisclosed.
When did a Vulcan last launch?
How long has it been since we've seen this rocket? The last Vulcan launch was the Space Force certification flight in October 2024. Now that the new rocket has been cleared to fly national security payloads, the Space Coast awaits a launch date for this rocket's third flight.
"From its inception, the Vulcan rocket was designed to deliver heavy payloads to any orbit. The upcoming USSF-106 mission utilizes this capability with Centaur V launching a multi-manifest U.S. national security payload directly to geosynchronous orbit for the Space Force," United Launch Alliance posted to its website July 15.
The Centaur V is the Vulcan's upper stage, which is designed to reach unusual orbits for these national security missions.
"The basic architecture of the rocket is really focused on these unique orbits," ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters in March. "An example would be directly injecting into geosynchronous orbit − a mission really the government does."
A geosynchronous orbit is one which orbits alongside Earth's 24-hour rotation, with the spacecraft staying above the same longitude.
The first time a Vulcan launched was in January 2024.
What is the Vulcan replacing?
While ULA still launches its Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, the Vulcan is designed to replace both Atlas V and the now retired Delta IV. It will become ULA's main workhorse rocket.
On top of missions for the Space Force, Vulcan will also fly payloads such as Amazon's Kuiper internet satellites. The long awaited Dream Chaser space plane is also on the manifest, but no launch day yet.
Vulcan is designed to fly with two, four, or six solid rocket boosters, or none at all. ULA says to look for four solid rocket boosters propelling this upcoming mission off the launch pad.
What happened during the ULA Vulcan rocket launch in Florida last fall?
During Vulcan's last launch in October 2024, sparks were seen by spectators approximately 38 seconds into the flight. It was later revealed that an issue within one of the solid rocket boosters caused the light show.
The issue did not impact the mission, with the payload reaching orbit. The incident was investigated by ULA to understand the root cause. In March 2025, the Vulcan rocket received certification from the U.S. Space Force to fly national security missions.
When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
Be sure to follow the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team for the latest from Cape Canaveral.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [e-mail] or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What to know: ULA Vulcan rocket to launch mission from Cape Canaveral
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