"Vulcan Centaur's Maiden Voyage: ULA's New Era of Commercial Lunar Missions Begins"

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is set to launch its Vulcan Centaur rocket on Monday, marking the company's first new rocket design in 18 years and a significant step in U.S. space capabilities. The Vulcan Centaur, designed to meet U.S. national security and commercial space interests, will compete with SpaceX by offering a more cost-effective launch option under $100 million. Despite not having reusable rockets like SpaceX, ULA's Vulcan Centaur is versatile, with a payload capacity of up to 25.8 metric tons to LEO and 7 metric tons to GEO, and is set to play a pivotal role in U.S. defense strategy. The upcoming launch is part of a broader mission docket, including lunar missions and launches for Amazon's Kuiper satellite constellation, with ULA aiming for two Vulcan launches per month by the end of 2025.