ULA's Vulcan rocket returns to flight with Amazon satellites after booster redesign

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is preparing to launch its Vulcan rocket for the first time in nine months, following a booster malfunction that grounded the fleet. The mission, scheduled for Friday from Cape Canaveral, will carry 40 broadband satellites for Amazon's Leo constellation, marking the first of 38 contracted launches.

The flight is critical for ULA as it features a redesigned booster nozzle, addressing a failure seen in earlier flights, and will be the first flight test of Blue Origin's BE-4 engines since a pad explosion. Engineers have installed retrofit kits and conducted hot-fire tests. This launch provides essential real-world data to validate the fixes and restore confidence in a key vehicle for both commercial and future U.S. national security missions.