List of Vulcan launches

This is a list of launches made by the Vulcan Centaur rocket since its maiden launch on 8 January 2024.

Notable missions

Peregrine Mission One

Launch of the Peregrine on Vulcan Centaur's first flight

Main article: Peregrine Mission One

Peregrine Mission One was a lunar lander built by Astrobotic Technology, selected as a part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. It was launched on the maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur on 8 January 2024, 07:18 UTC.^[1] The Vulcan Centaur successfully placed Peregrine into trans-lunar injection, however, following a fuel leak with the spacecraft unrelated to the Vulcan Centaur, the lander failed in its attempt to land on the Moon.^[2]

Launch statistics

Launch outcomes

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5

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14

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18

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20

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

•   Failure
•   Partial failure
•   Success
•   Planned

Launch sites (actual and planned)

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2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

•   Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41
•   Vandenberg, SLC‑3E

Rocket configurations (actual and planned)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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12

13

14

15

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

•   Vulcan Centaur VC0
•   Vulcan Centaur VC2S
•   Vulcan Centaur VC4
•   Vulcan Centaur VC6
•   Vulcan Centaur TBD

Launch history

2024

Flight No.	Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, configuration	Launch site	Payload	Payload mass	Orbit	Customer	Launch outcome
1	8 January 2024 07:18	Vulcan Centaur VC2S	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	Peregrine lander	1,283 kg (2,829 lb)	TLI	Astrobotic Technology	Success[3]
				Enterprise (space burial)		Heliocentric	Celestis
	Maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur and Vulcan Centaur VC2S Configuration. Certification-1 mission, the first of two launches needed to certify the rocket for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. Payload from Celestis, demonstrated engine restart capability of the Centaur upper stage delivering multiple payloads to different orbits. The Peregrine payload failed in transit to the Moon, precluding a landing attempt, due to reasons unrelated to the launch vehicle.[4]
2	4 October 2024 11:25	Vulcan Centaur VC2S	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	Mass simulator	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)	Heliocentric	United Launch Alliance	Success
	Certification-2 mission, the second of two launches needed to certify the rocket for NSSL missions. Originally scheduled to carry the first flight of Dream Chaser; however, due to schedule delays with Dream Chaser, ULA flew a mass simulator with experiments and demonstrations of future Centaur V technologies.[5][6] Approximately 37 seconds into the launch, the nozzle on one of solid rocket boosters (SRB) fell off resulting in a shower of debris in the exhaust plume. Although the SRB continued to function for its full 90-second burn, the anomaly led to reduced, asymmetrical thrust. This caused the rocket to slightly tilt before the guidance system and main engines successfully corrected and extended their burn by roughly 20 seconds to compensate. Despite the anomaly, the rocket achieved nominal orbital insertion,[7][8] with the Space Force praising the launch and "the robustness of the total Vulcan system".[9] The nozzle anomaly was attributed to a manufacturing defect in a insulator located inside the nozzle.[10]

Future launches

Future launches are listed chronologically when firm plans are in place. The order of the later launches is much less certain.^[11] Launches are expected to take place "no earlier than" (NET) the listed date. As of August 2025^[update] ULA are "aiming for about two launches per month across its Atlas and Vulcan fleets in 2025 and 2026".^[12]

2025

Date / time (UTC)[11]	Rocket, configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Customer
12 August 2025 23:59[13]	Vulcan Centaur VC4S	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-106 (NTS-3 & TBA)	GSO	U.S. Space Force
	USSF-106 mission.[14] Maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur VC4S Configuration.[15][16] First NSSL mission for Vulcan Centaur.[17] It will launch Navigation Technology Satellite 3 (NTS-3), an experimental spacecraft to test technologies for next-generation GPS satellites.
Q3 2025	Vulcan Centaur VC4S	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-87 (GSSAP 7 & 8)	GSO	U.S. Space Force
	USSF-87 mission.[18] It will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness satellites, GSSAP-7 and 8, directly to a geosynchronous orbit.[19]
Q3 2025	Vulcan Centaur VC4L[16]	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	SSC Demo-1 (Dream Chaser Tenacity)	LEO (ISS)	NASA (CRS)
	First flight of Dream Chaser. Maiden flight of the Vulcan Centaur VC4L configuration.
Q3 2025[20]	Vulcan Centaur VC2S	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E	SDA T1TR-B	LEO	SDA
	Tranche 1 Tracking Layer B missile tracking satellites.
Q3 2025[20]	Vulcan Centaur VC2S	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E	SDA T1TR-D	LEO	SDA
	Tranche 1 Tracking Layer D missile tracking satellites.
December 2025[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	NG-OPIR-GEO 1 (USSF-57)	GEO	U.S. Space Force
	Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellite.
Q4 2025[20]	Vulcan Centaur	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E	USSF-114	TBA	U.S. Space Force
	Classified payload.
2025[23]	Vulcan Centaur VC4S	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-112	TBA	U.S. Space Force
	Classified payload.
2025[20]	Vulcan Centaur VC4	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	NROL-64	TBA	NRO
	First NRO launch on Vulcan
2025[20]	Vulcan Centaur	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E	NROL-83	TBA	NRO
	Classified NRO payload. First announced Vulcan Centaur launch from Vandenberg.
2025	Vulcan Centaur VC2S[24]	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	GPS III SV09[25]	MEO	U.S. Space Force
	First GPS mission for Vulcan Centaur. NSSL contract for FY2024.
2025[7]	Vulcan Centaur VC2S[24]	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	GPS III SV10[25]	MEO	U.S. Space Force
2025[23][26][27]	Vulcan Centaur VC2L	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	WGS-11 (PTS-P1)	GEO	U.S. Space Force
	Military communications satellite. Maiden flight of the Vulcan Centaur VC2L configuration. Protected Tactical Satcom prototype payload. The PTS payload will fly on dedicated Northrop Grumman built ESPAStar-HP satellite bus.

2026

Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Customer
2026[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	Missile Track Custody 1 (USSF-95)	MEO	U.S. Space Force
	First launch of Missile Track Custody satellites.
Q4 2026[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E	SDA T2TL-B	LEO	SDA
	Tranche 2 Transport Layer B missile tracking satellites.

2027

Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Customer
2027	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	GPS IIIF-1[25]	MEO	U.S. Space Force
	First GPS Block IIIF navigation satellite.
2027	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	GPS IIIF-2[25]	MEO	U.S. Space Force
	Also designated USSF-49 under NSSL

TBD

Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Customer
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	NROL-56	TBA	NRO
	Classified NRO payload.
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E[22]	NROL-73	TBA	NRO
	Classified NRO payload.
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Vandenberg, SLC‑3E[22]	NROL-100	TBA	NRO
	Classified NRO payload.
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	NROL-109	TBA	NRO
	Classified NRO payload.
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	Silentbarker 2A, 2B, 2C (NROL-118)	GEO	U.S. Space Force (NRO)
	Classified USSF & NRO partnered program.
TBD[21]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41[22]	STP-5	LEO	U.S. Space Force
	Two satellites for Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office[28]
TBD[29]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-16	TBA	U.S. Space Force
	Classified payload.
TBD[29]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-23	TBA	U.S. Space Force
	Classified payload.
TBD[29]	Vulcan Centaur	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	USSF-43	TBA	U.S. Space Force
	Classified payload.
TBD[30]	Vulcan Centaur VC4L[16]	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	SSC CRS-1 to CRS-5	LEO (ISS)	NASA (CRS)
	5 Dream Chaser launches on contract.
TBD[31]	Vulcan Centaur VC6L[16]	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41	KuiperSat × 45 (KV-01 to KV-38)	LEO	Amazon (Kuiper Systems)
	38 Vulcan Centaur launches for Amazon's Project Kuiper.

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• List of Atlas launches (2020–2029)
• List of Thor and Delta launches (2020–2024)
• List of USA satellites
• List of NRO launches