United Launch Alliance revealed Wednesday it prepares to return its Vulcan rocket to service on November 13, 9 months after a strong rocket booster anomaly tossed the business’s 2026 launch schedule into oblivion.

The return-to-flight objective will release 40 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation, the very first of 38 Vulcan flights Amazon has actually reserved to release the bulk of its network. The objective will take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and ULA stated the launch date is pending variety approval.

The launch is vital for ULA after its brand-new flagship rocket suffered nozzle failures on its strong rocket boosters on 2 of its very first 4 objectives, most just recently throughout a flight in February. In both cases, the rocket conquered the nozzle failure and finished its objective, however authorities at the United States Space Force, ULA’s main consumer, lost self-confidence in Vulcan.

Area Force authorities will carefully inspect Vulcan’s return-to-flight objective. The Pentagon has actually delegated ULA’s Vulcan rocket for approximately half of its significant launches through the early 2030s. The Space Force accredited the Vulcan rocket for nationwide security launches in 2025, then flew 2 objectives on Vulcan before its grounding after the February booster occurrence.

Making strides

In a declaration, United Launch Alliance stated engineers “made fantastic strides” in comprehending the booster abnormality that took place in February. Engineers “have actually recognized a number of prospective factors, which have actually been alleviated through style and procedure enhancements to the nozzle,” ULA stated.

“To support our consumers, this upcoming launch will use the enhanced nozzle style, and extra screening and analysis will continue in parallel with the objective,” ULA stated. “By flying the enhanced style, ULA gains important flight information that verifies these enhancements and is the most helpful course in assistance of all our clients.”