United Launch Alliance: Difference between revisions

[[File:Boeing Orbital Flight Test Press Conference (NHQ201912200010).jpg|thumb|ULA CEO Tory Bruno at a NASA news conference in December 2019]]In a leadership change at ULA in August 2014, [[Tory Bruno]] assumed the CEO position, marking a new strategic direction for the company.<ref name="sn20140812">{{cite web |last=Gruss |first=Mike |date=2014-08-12 |title=United Launch Alliance Taps a Lockheed Executive To Replace CEO Gass |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41575united-launch-alliance-taps-a-lockheed-executive-to-replace-ceo-gass |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140813201634/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41575united-launch-alliance-taps-a-lockheed-executive-to-replace-ceo-gass |archive-date=13 August 2014 |access-date=2014-08-13 |website=SpaceNews}}</ref> Under Bruno's leadership, ULA was under pressure to reduce costs to better compete with SpaceX and its partially reusable rockets, replace its Russian-made RD-180 with more efficient western-made engines,<ref name="lat20141212">{{cite news |last1=Petersen |first1=Melody |date=2014-12-12 |title=Congress OKs bill banning purchases of Russian-made rocket engines |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-russian-rocket-ban-20141213-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307165553/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-russian-rocket-ban-20141213-story.html |archive-date=2017-03-07 |access-date=2014-12-14 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |quote=Costs of launching military satellites has skyrocketed under contracts the Air Force has given to United Launch Alliance. The average cost for each launch using rockets from Boeing and Lockheed has soared to US$420 million, according to an analysis by the Government Accountability Office.}}</ref> and introduce a next-generation launch vehicle. The company's high cost to launch left the company with few commercial and civil satellite launch customers, and increasingly reliant on U.S. military and spy agency contracts.<ref name="Yahoo20150521">{{cite web |last=Shalal |first=Andrea |date=21 May 2015 |title=Lockheed-Boeing rocket venture needs commercial orders to survive |url=https://news.yahoo.com/lockheed-boeing-rocket-venture-needs-commercial-orders-survive-205416832--finance.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723052732/https://news.yahoo.com/lockheed-boeing-rocket-venture-needs-commercial-orders-survive-205416832--finance.html |archive-date=2015-07-23 |website=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref><ref name="dbj20141016">{{cite news |last=Avery |first=Greg |date=2014-10-16 |title=ULA plans new rocket, restructuring to cut launch costs in half |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/boosters_bits/2014/10/exclusive-ula-plans-a-new-rocket-restructuring-to.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315142232/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/boosters_bits/2014/10/exclusive-ula-plans-a-new-rocket-restructuring-to.html |archive-date=2017-03-15 |access-date=2014-11-14 |newspaper=Denver Business Journal}}</ref> After the  [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014]], Congress passed a law in 2016 that prohibited the military from procuring additional launch services on vehicles that use the RD-180 engine after 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Erwin |first=Sandra |date=19 August 2021 |title=National security launch in transition as Space Force waits for Vulcan |url=https://spacenews.com/national-security-launch-in-transition-as-space-force-waits-for-vulcan/ |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=Space News}}</ref>

A Delta II rocket orbited a [[Soil Moisture Active Passive]] satellite in January 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/28399-nasa-launches-earth-dirt-satellite.html |title=NASA Launches Satellite to Get the Dirt on Earth's Dirt |last1=Kramer |first1=Miriam |date=January 31, 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref> In March 2015, an Atlas V rocket carried NASA's [[Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission]] spacecraft,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/03/ula-atlas-v-mms-launch/ |title=MMS successfully launched by ULA's Atlas V |last1=Graham |first1=William |date=March 12, 2015 |website=NASA Spaceflight |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/28816-nasa-mms-satellites-nighttime-launch.html |title=Spectacular Night Launch Sends NASA Satellites on Hunt for Magnetic Collisions |last1=Cofield |first1=Calla |date=March 13, 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018 }}</ref> and a Delta IV rocket orbited the [[GPS Block IIF|GPS IIF-9]] satellite on behalf of the U.S. Air Force.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/03/ula-delta-iv-gps-iif9/ |title=ULA Delta IV successfully launches GPS IIF-9 |last1=Graham |first1=William |date=March 25, 2015 |website=NASA Spaceflight |access-date=July 17, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/28926-air-force-launches-gps-satellite.html |title=US Air Force Launches Advanced GPS Satellite into Orbit |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |date=26 March 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref> The U.S. Air Force's [[Boeing X-37|X-37B]] spaceplane was carried by an Atlas V rocket in May 2015,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/29448-x37b-space-plane-launches-fourth-mission.html |title=US Air Force Launches X-37B Space Plane on 4th Mystery Mission |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |date=May 20, 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018 }}</ref> and a Delta IV orbited the [[Wideband Global SATCOM|WGS-7]] satellite in July 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/delta-4-launches-7th-wgs-satellite/ |title=Delta 4 Launches 7th WGS satellite |last1=Gruss |first1=Mike |date=July 23, 2015 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref> The fourth MUOS satellite was orbited by an Atlas V in September 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/09/02/atlas-v-rocket-launch/71562068/ |title=Atlas V delivers military satellite to orbit |last1=Dean |first1=James |date=September 2, 2015 |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/go-for-launch/os-atlas-v-launch-time-now-618-am-20150902-post.html |title=Atlas V liftoff creates cloud of confusion |last1=Powers |first1=Scott |date=September 2, 2015 |newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref> ULA's 100th consecutive successful liftoff was completed on 2 October 2015, when an Atlas V rocket orbited a [[Mexican Satellite System]] communications satellite on behalf of the [[Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico)|Secretariat of Communications and Transportation]].<ref name="Dazzling"/> The classified [[List of NRO launches|NROL-55]] satellite was launched by an Atlas V rocket several days later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/30772-nrol-55-spy-satellite-mission-cubesat-photos.html |title=Launch Photos: NROL-55 Spy Satellite and Cubesats Blast Off |date=October 8, 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018 }}</ref> Atlas V rockets launched [[GPS Block IIF]] satellites and the ''[[Cygnus (spacecraft)|Cygnus]]'' cargo spacecraft in November 2015 and December 2015, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-launches-11th-gps-2f-satellite/ |title=U.S. Air Force Launches 11th GPS 2F Satellite |last1=Gruss |first1=Mike |date=November 2, 2015 |website=SpaceNews |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35023614 |title=Rocket carries US supplies to International Space Station |date=December 7, 2015 |website=BBC News |access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/31278-cygnus-spacecraft-launch-orbital-atk-return-to-flight.html |title=Cygnus Spaceship Launch Restarts Orbital ATK Cargo Missions for NASA |last1=Lewin |first1=Sarah |date=December 6, 2015 |website=Space.com |access-date=July 17, 2018 }}</ref>