United Launch Alliance will not be selling more Atlas V rockets and has stopped purchasing Russian-made rocket engines. This was stated by the chief executive of the company to The Verge. ULA's decision will see the retirement of one the most trusted launch vehicles of the US government. It is also expected to end Russia's controversial RD-180 engine. This engine was an engineering marvel and a key source of revenue for Russias satellite program.
Were done. In an interview, CEO Tory Bruno stated that all ULA's Atlas V rockets were sold. ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin has 29 Atlas V missions remaining before it retires sometime between the mid-2020s. Then, Bruno stated, ULA will transition to its new Vulcan rocket. There are still a few Atlas V missions left for commercial customers, as well as some for NASA, Space Force and Amazon's new broadband satellite constellation, Project Kuiper.
The Atlas V launcher, which was launched in 2002, was the main vehicle that established ULAs quasi-monopoly over national security satellite missions. It also helped NASA to achieve some of its biggest space exploration projects, including all the robotic missions to Mars. The US sanctioned Russia for its annexation in Crimea in 2014. Congress ordered the Air Force to stop relying on Atlas V due to its Russian-made RD-180 engine. The current law mandates that the Space Force, which handles most of the launch-related duties under the Air Force, stop using Atlas V for Pentagon launches by 2022.
Bruno stated that three to four RD-180s were installed on Atlas V rockets for upcoming mission, while the rest are stored in a warehouse. He said that we took an early delivery with the RD-180 so that I could end this relationship and not be dependent on Russia. The US has now taken delivery of 122 RD180 engines. This will generate billions of dollars for Russia's space program.
According to Roscosmos Russia's space agency Roscosmos, the last six RD-180 engines were delivered in April to the US. According to Bruno's Russian counterparts, if ULA decides to purchase more RD180 engines in the future they would be open to building more and selling them. Bruno stated that the RD-180 program would likely end as ULA has no plans to purchase more. He accepted Russia's offer with a grain, but was skeptical that Energomash (the state-owned manufacturer for the RD-180) would be able restart its engine production line or test regime after it closes.
Roscosmos spokesmen on behalf of Energomashs but declined to comment on the possibility that RD-180 production will cease. Roscosmos' former director, Igor Komarov in 2017, stated that Roscosmos had received requests from several countries with launchers and expertise in space to use the RD-180 engines. However, those potential customers are still to be determined.
SpaceX gave Atlas V a tough challenge
Atlas V was not only hampered by the geopolitics of its RD-180 engine. SpaceX's Falcon 9 reusable rocket was cheaper than the rocket, which made it difficult for Atlas V to compete with SpaceX. This rocket eroded ULA's monopoly over government launch contracts. Amazon announced in April that it had selected Atlas V to launch its Kuiper satellites, which are internet-beaming, into space. This was a win for the rocket. The deal's value was not disclosed.
ULA has reduced the cost of Atlas V missions from $187 million to $100 million, as SpaceX increased competition. However, it still cannot match Falcon 9's launch price at $62 million. ULA was once a major force in national security launches. However, it now faces SpaceX head-to-head for lucrative Pentagon launch contracts. Space Force granted billions to ULA, SpaceX, and SpaceX last year to launch 30 to 35 missions to the Pentagon between 2022-2027. ULA received 60 percent of the work, while SpaceX got the rest.
ULA will mostly use its next-generation, lower-cost Vulcan rocket for those Pentagon missions. However, those engines are still in development by Jeff Bezos Blue Origin. This delays Vulcan's launch debut, pushing it back to late 2021 or early 2022. Bruno stated that the main reasons for delays were due to problems with the turbo pump and the excessive vibrations that would happen while the engine was being tested-fired. However, these issues have since been resolved. He said that the main issue now is building hardware and that the first flight-ready engines will be delivered by the end this year.
They were obviously concerned but they were involved with ULA
According to Gen. Jason Cothern (deputy commander of Space Forces rocket acquisition units), the Space Force is considering whether it will need to develop backup options in case BE-4 delays persist into next year. These options include shifting some Vulcans workload to SpaceX under its share of Pentagon launch launches. However, officials will wait until next year to decide on any contingencies. This is to watch how the final chapter in BE-4 development unfolds. Cothern stated that while they were concerned, they were still working with ULA. They also have a strong relationship with Blue Origin to help bring it along. He added that officials are cautiously optimistic that the BE-4 engines, which will be ready for flight, will be delivered to ULA before the end of next year.
