>United Launch Alliance a year ago was projecting a 2021 debut for Vulcan Centaur, a heavy-lift rocket powered by the BE-4 engine made by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. But meeting that goal was hugely dependent on Blue Origin completing engine development and delivering two flight-ready BE-4s.
>Those engines have not yet been delivered, and Vulcan’s first flight timetable continues to shift to the right.
>ULA now projects receiving engines in mid-2022 and flying Vulcan by year’s end.
>If Vulcan is not ready for NSSL launches by 2023, the next option for the Space Force would be to reassign ULA’s missions to SpaceX. “The reason to have two launch providers is that if something happens to one, and you’ve got another one to rely on,” noted Kendall, the U.S. Air Force secretary.
https://spacenews.com/space-and-national-security-what-to-expect-in-2022/
>Those engines have not yet been delivered, and Vulcan’s first flight timetable continues to shift to the right.
>ULA now projects receiving engines in mid-2022 and flying Vulcan by year’s end.
>If Vulcan is not ready for NSSL launches by 2023, the next option for the Space Force would be to reassign ULA’s missions to SpaceX. “The reason to have two launch providers is that if something happens to one, and you’ve got another one to rely on,” noted Kendall, the U.S. Air Force secretary.
https://spacenews.com/space-and-national-security-what-to-expect-in-2022/
