Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Watch live: Back-to back launches of Vulcan and Ariane 6 rockets

Watch live coverage as two of the world's newest heavy-lift rockets lift off, potentially within minutes of each other. First up is the launch of Europe's Ariane 6 from Kourou in French Guiana. Lifto...

🚀 ULA Vulcan VC4S Launches USSF-106

NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3) is a demonstration navigation satellite. NTS-3 will experiment with a new digital signal generator that can be reprogrammed on-orbit, enabling it to broadcast...

Vulcan USSF-106

The first U.S. national security launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket was the United States Space Force (USSF)-106 mission. Liftoff occurred from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch Date and Time: Aug. 12, 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT (...

USSF-106

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Overview

Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Geosynchronous Orbit Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA Probability: 80%

USSF-106 is a mission for the United States Space Force. The launch will deploy various payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, including the NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3), a demonstration navigation satellite testing a new digital signal generator that can be reprogrammed on-orbit to broadcast new signals, improve performance by avoiding and defeating interference, and adding signatures for detecting spoofing attacks.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates


Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 13, 2025, 12:56 a.m.

Liftoff.


Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 12, 2025, 10:55 p.m.

New T-0.



Cosmic_Penguin • Aug. 10, 2025, 2:20 p.m.

Refined launch window.


Vulcan VC4S

Family:
Configuration: VC4S

Vulcan Centaur is a two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2014. It is principally designed to meet launch demands for the U.S. government's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program for use by the United States Space Force and U.S. intelligence agencies for national security satellite launches. It will replace both of ULA's existing launchers (Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy) in this role, as these launchers are retiring.

See Details
Specifications
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Family
  • Name
    Vulcan VC4S
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  • Variant
    VC4S
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  • Full Name
    Vulcan VC4S
Payload Capacity
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United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

CEO: Mark Peller Founded: 2006 Successes: 175 Failures: 0 Pending: 36

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI
Space Scout

Vulcan Begins Operational Missions

On August 12, 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT (0056 UTC), United Launch Alliance successfully launched its Vulcan Centaur VC4S vehicle from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the USSF-106 mission.

Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: ULA to launch first national security mission on a Vulcan rocket

The mission, dubbed USSF-106, will be the first Vulcan rocket launch since the vehicle was certified by the United States Space Force in late March. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is schedule for 7:59 p.m. EDT (2…

The Launch Pad

LIVE COVERAGE! Vulcan Set To Launch First U.S. National Security Mission

LIVE COVERAGE! Vulcan Set To Launch First U.S. National Security Mission

SpacePolicyOnline.com

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Lifts Off on First National Security Mission

ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off on a national security mission for the first time this evening. One payload aboard the U.S. Space Force’s USSF-106 mission is the Navigation […]

Spaceflight Now

ULA launches Vulcan rocket on first Space Force mission

Equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters for additional takeoff power, the 198-foot-tall Vulcan's two methane-fueled BE-4 engines thundered to life at 8:56p.m. EDT, instantly propelling the rocket away from pad 41 at the Cape Canave…

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 41


Electron
Success
1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Happily Ever Faster (BlackSky Gen-3 5)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Note: Payload and customer identities were not publicly announced. 5th of the BlackSky Gen-3 high resolution Earth-imaging satellites.


Falcon 9
Success
13 hours, 26 minutes ago
USSF-153
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

USSF-153 is a classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield …


Long March 4B
Success
20 hours, 9 minutes ago
Yaogan 53-01 to 03/56-01 to 03
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

6 Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 14 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-24
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Spectrum
Success
5 days, 8 hours ago
Onward and Upward
Orbital Launch Pad - Andøya Spaceport

Second test flight of the Isar Spectrum launch vehicle. This launch will carry 5 cubesats and 1 non-separable experiment as part of European Space Ag…


GSLV Mk II
Success
1 week ago
GISAT-1A (EOS-05)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) is an Indian earth observing satellite operating from geostationary orbit to facilitate continuous observation of In…


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Owl Around The World (StriX Launch 11)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 15-23
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Pallas-1
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Demo Flight
Pallas-1 Launch Pad - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch of Galactic Energy’s Pallas-1 rocket, with a dummy payload on board.


Falcon Heavy
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA infrared space telescope with a 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide field of view primary mirror and two scientific i…