America’s Oldest Rocket Company Successfully Test Fires Powerful New Rocket
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The United Launch Alliance (ULA) test-fired its Vulcan heavy lift rocket earlier today at 9:05 pm local time at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The test was a full vehicle tanking and engine fire test, which ULA calls the Flight Readiness Firing. This test aimed to evaluate the rocket's engines and tanks to ensure all systems run smoothly. Today's test took place after quite a wait, as ULA teams dealt with a lighting event and had to evaluate the rocket's software and hardware to ensure that it was still a 'go' for launch. The Vulcan rocket is a special one in ULA's history, as it is the first rocket the firm has designed in its history, despite having conducted more than a hundred launches.
The test's mission director gave the go-ahead for launch roughly eight minutes before launch that saw the team confirm that the numerous systems on board were ready for the firing. However, even after this, the teams continued monitoring the rocket to ensure the vehicle's tanks were at the correct pressure. Once these status checks were finished, the final go-ahead for the FRF was given.
Today's test was crucial, particularly for the Vulcan's engines. These are the only components of the rocket that have not flown a mission to space before. Like NASA's SLS rocket, the Vulcan leverages existing flight hardware design to reduce development and testing timelines. Some of its components, such as the RL-10 engines on the second stage and the aluminum tanks, will have flown more than a hundred times when the rocket achieves its early launch capability.
Since it was just a small test to
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