Vulcan Rocket Aces Engine Test Despite Upper Stage Anomaly

The Vulcan rocket successfully completed a hot-fire test of its first-stage engines, a critical step towards its debut launch. However, modifications to the rocket's Centaur V upper stage are still needed after it exploded during a test in March. The root cause of the failure has been identified, but no new launch date has been established. The US Space Force is closely monitoring the situation, as Vulcan is supposed to start launching national security missions in 2022, but that will now not happen until at least 2024.