US Space Force makes switch to SpaceX's Falcon 9 for GPS launch due to issue in ULA's Vulcan

The United States Space Force has determined that a change in launch service providers is necessary for its upcoming National Security Space Launch (NSSL) GPS III-8 mission. This decision comes in the aftermath of ULA (United Launch Alliance) seeing its US national security missions grounded due to anomalies in the solid rocket boosters of the Vulcan Centaur. "The change ensures continued delivery of this critical system through responsive and reliable launch capabilities while the investigation into Vulcan anomaly continues," said the US Space Force in a statement released on Friday.

The GPS III Space Vehicle, SV-10, will now launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than late April 2026 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. “The Space Access and NSSL teams’ primary mission is to deliver critical capabilities for the warfighter—when and where it’s needed,” said USSF Col. Ryan Hiserote, SYD 80 commander and NSSL system program director. “With this change, we are answering the call for rapid delivery of advanced GPS capability while the Vulcan anomaly investigation continues. We are once again demonstrating our team’s flexibility and are fully committed to leveraging all options available for responsive and reliable launch for the Nation.”

With this being the last of the GPS III missions, ULA's Vulcan will launch the USSF-70 mission, which is scheduled for no earlier than the summer of 2028. The successor to ULA's Atlas V rocket, the Vulcan Centaur, has flown a total of 4 times, with solid rocket booster issues cropping up on two of those occasions. The first time was in October 2024, while the second time was during the USSF-87 mission last month, with the US Space Force deciding to pause all national security flights aboard the Vulcan even though the rocket managed to complete its mission on both of the occasions.

Despite the recent setbacks, the Colorado-headquartered company continues to be trusted for high-profile missions, having been assigned to build three Exploration Upper Stage replacements for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that will fly on the Artemis IV and V missions. Boeing, which went through a tumultuous period of its own because of the Starliner debacle, would have been the partner responsible for building the Exploration Upper Stage had it not been scrapped in the aftermath of NASA's decision to increase the launch cadence of its Moon missions.

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