Vulcan: ULA Rocket Set for Return to Flight on November 13

Vulcan is preparing to return to the launch facilities at Cape Canaveral. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting November 13, 2026, for its return-to-flight mission, which is expected to carry several satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation into orbit.

The rocket had been grounded since February, following an anomaly involving one of its solid rocket booster nozzles during the USSF-87 mission on February 12.

Although the launch successfully achieved its primary objectives, the incident prompted ULA to suspend further flights while engineers investigated the source of the problem.

For the upcoming mission, the company has developed a redesigned nozzle intended to address the identified issues. Additional testing and analysis are also continuing alongside launch preparations.

This return represents an important milestone for ULA. Vulcan is expected to progressively replace the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles while supporting both commercial and strategic government missions.

The upcoming flight will therefore be closely monitored throughout the aerospace industry. It will need to demonstrate that the modifications have restored sufficient reliability for regular launch operations to resume.