U.S. Space Force officials in Washington are urgently reshuffling national security launch manifests following a February 12 solid rocket booster anomaly on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket, a mechanical failure that lawmakers warn could ground the critical launch vehicle for at least half a year.
During the USSF-87 mission in mid-February, the Vulcan rocket experienced a severe performance anomaly on one of its strap-on solid rocket boosters shortly after liftoff. Despite the early-stage malfunction, the vehicle’s Centaur upper stage compensated for the thrust deficit, successfully delivering the classified payload to its intended geosynchronous orbit.
However, the close call prompted the Space Force to immediately freeze all subsequent Vulcan national security launches pending the conclusion of a joint failure investigation with ULA and its booster supplier. The suspension temporarily halts a major artery of the military’s orbital supply chain.
Lawmakers Press for Answers
The operational fallout took center stage at a March 25 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee. Lawmakers pressed Pentagon officials on the cascading effects of the grounding and the military’s contingency plans.
Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) highlighted the severity of the timeline. He noted that the ongoing investigation and subsequent hardware fixes “will probably be at least a six-month delay to any Vulcan launch.”
Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, deputy chief of space operations, testified that the service is actively assessing how to manage the logistical disruption. “First off, we were very concerned about this, but we were very happy that the satellites were placed in the proper orbit and would be able to perform their missions,” Schiess told lawmakers.
He emphasized that defense officials are “actively looking through what the impacts will be” across the broader national security space architecture.
Shifting Payloads and Market Duopoly
The grounding highlights the fragile nature of the Pentagon’s launch architecture, which currently relies on a certified duopoly consisting solely of ULA and SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. With Vulcan sidelined, the Space Force has already been forced to pivot.
Military planners recently reassigned a critical GPS satellite launch from ULA to a SpaceX Falcon rocket. Defense officials warn that more missions could face similar reassignments or extended delays unless alternative launch options materialize quickly.
The Vulcan manifest for this year had been packed with high-priority defense and intelligence payloads vital to U.S. strategic interests. Slated missions included the deployment of a next-generation missile warning satellite designed to track advanced hypersonic threats, a wideband global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite, and highly classified intelligence spacecraft for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Delays to these systems could create temporary gaps in orbital capabilities. This disruption may force the military to rely on aging legacy satellites longer than originally anticipated.
Exploring Stopgap Measures
To mitigate these risks, military planners are evaluating unconventional stopgap measures. Schiess noted that the Space Force is examining upcoming launch windows to identify flexible solutions for stranded payloads.
“We are actively looking at several launches coming up to see what we can do,” Schiess said. “Can we extend the current satellites that are on orbit, and what we can do to maybe move other satellites to different providers?”
Thomas Ainsworth, performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, echoed the need for agility in the face of hardware delays. Ainsworth testified that the Pentagon is exploring a wide spectrum of alternatives.
These backup plans include rideshare opportunities with commercial payloads and the wholesale reassignment of missions where technical parameters allow. “We are looking at different options,” Ainsworth stated, confirming that program executives have received directives to explore all available avenues to maintain the delivery of critical orbital capabilities.
The Push for New Entrants
The Vulcan delay also casts a spotlight on the urgent need for additional certified launch providers to build resilience into the military’s supply chain. Blue Origin’s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket is currently working toward national security certification.
Achieving this milestone would introduce a third major player into the defense launch market. However, New Glenn must successfully complete a series of demonstration flights before it can be cleared to carry multibillion-dollar military payloads, and its operational timeline remains highly uncertain.
Meanwhile, the Space Force and the NRO are collaborating closely with ULA and its corporate parent companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to identify the root cause of the February 12 booster anomaly. The joint investigation aims to implement corrective actions without fundamentally altering the rocket’s design.
“The investigation is still ongoing, but we are very focused on getting the fleet up and running,” Ainsworth assured lawmakers.
Strategic Implications
Looking ahead, the Vulcan grounding forces the Pentagon to confront the strategic vulnerabilities inherent in its narrow launch provider base. If the six-month delay holds, SpaceX will likely absorb the bulk of the reassigned national security missions, further consolidating its market dominance in the near term.
Defense officials and industry analysts will be closely watching ULA’s progress in resolving the solid rocket booster defect, as well as the certification progress of Blue Origin’s New Glenn. Ultimately, the Space Force’s ability to seamlessly pivot payloads to alternative rockets or extend the lifespans of on-orbit assets will serve as a critical stress test for the resilience of the United States’ national security space architecture.
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