ULA launch of 100th national security mission July 30, 2024

ULA launch of 100th national security mission

At 6:45 a.m. EDT (10:45 UTC) on July 30, 2024, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket lifted off from Florida on its 100th national security mission. ULA’s Atlas V rocket carried the USSF-51 mission for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command into space. This is the final top secret launch for the Atlas V rocket. ULA will continue to use the Atlas V rocket with 15 more commercial and non-defense missions coming up, including crewed launches. Meanwhile, it’s also working on certification of the new Vulcan rocket. Vulcan’s last certification flight was in January.

On January 8, 2024, a Vulcan rocket launched the Peregrine lunar lander from Astrobotic into space. The launch itself was a success, as well as the separation from the Vulcan rocket. But the payload – Peregrine – developed a leak and crashed back to Earth.

That was the inaugural liftoff for Vulcan. The Space Force has a growing backlog of military missions awaiting Vulcan’s certification. Eventually, a Vulcan rocket will also launch Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser space plane sometime in 2025.

More images from the launchpad

Greg Diesel Walck was at Cape Canaveral on Tuesday morning as the Atlas V roared into space. Here are some of the images he took exclusively for EarthSky.

Bottom line: On July 30, 2024, the ULA launch of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, was its 100th and final national security launch. Find out what’s next for the company.