United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Next Generation Launch System (NGLS)

 
 
I would be surprised to see any positive aspect of a chute fall on solid ground regarding the BE4 engine construction.

I think this idea is bad from start. With all the welding and piping, Rocket engines need a boosted recovery to minimize landing impact. Just look at the nozzle. How would you guarantee a safe landing?

But perhaps their secret intend is to rent a couple of draco engines? It's Christmas after all.
 
Looks like the inaugural payload might be ready before Vulcan is.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1605196199400681473
View: https://twitter.com/astrobotic/status/1605196199400681473


Peregrine's electromagnetic testing was completed AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! This means Peregrine (and our team) will be home for the holidays!
*Cue joyful cheers from the Astrobots*
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www.astrobotic.com

PEREGRINE EMI TESTING A SUCCESS & AHEAD OF SCHEDULE | Astrobotic Technology

Pittsburgh, PA - December 20, 2022 – Astrobotic announced today that their Peregrine lunar lander has completed electromagnetic interference (EMI/EMC)
www.astrobotic.com

PEREGRINE EMI TESTING A SUCCESS & AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
PRESS RELEASE 12 | 20 | 22

Pittsburgh, PA – December 20, 2022 – Astrobotic announced today that their Peregrine lunar lander has completed electromagnetic interference (EMI/EMC) testing early and will arrive back at their headquarters on December 23.

Originally, Peregrine was to spend the next week at Dayton T. Brown Inc.’s facility in Bohemia, New York to complete residual integration activities and prepare for thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) testing. Because the test campaign is ahead of schedule, Peregrine will be brought back to Pittsburgh to give employees an opportunity to be home for the holidays.

”I commend the test teams who worked tirelessly to identify opportunities for an efficient campaign. Peregrine’s journey back to Pittsburgh also gives the public an opportunity to see the Peregrine spacecraft one last time before it continues on to TVAC testing, then to Florida for a Q1 2023 launch,” says Sharad Bhaskaran, Mission Director for Peregrine Mission One.

EMI/EMC testing checked the electromagnetic compatibility between the Peregrine lander and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. The radiated emissions tests proved that Peregrine does not emit electromagnetic energy harmful to the Vulcan rocket, while radiated susceptibility ensured Peregrine can operate properly after being subjected to electromagnetic energy emitted by Vulcan. Finally, “Self Compatibility” testing confirms the spacecraft will function nominally during standard flight operations.

”As Peregrine’s first EMI/EMC test campaign, passing against all reviewed test criteria is a major company accomplishment. It really exhibits the skill, experience, and determination of our engineers and technicians,” said Yoonhee Steadman, Lead Spacecraft Electrical Integration and Test Engineer at Astrobotic.

The Peregrine spacecraft will be sent to thermal vacuum testing before it arrives in Cape Canaveral, Florida for integration with ULA’s Vulcan Centaur.
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The Space Bucket has a new update video on the status of the Vulcan:


Dec 30, 2022
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With 2023 only days away, we are closer than ever to the first launch of United Launch Alliances’s Vulcan Centaur. While the last couple of weeks have been quiet on ULA’s end, we have learned more about the payload and when we can expect it to be delivered and integrated. A substantial step that will dictate when this launch vehicle lifts off for the first time.
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Specifically, just days ago Astrobotic and the Perigrine payload was unwrapped in the clean room for final software testing. Once complete, it will be sent to the cape and integrated with Vulcan ahead of launch. As of right now, the launch is still scheduled to happen in the first quarter of 2023. This means we are only months away assuming all the final testing goes according to plan.
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While this mission endured a lot of delays in the past relating to various issues and complications, now at the final stretch they are trying to stay on track. If successful, this mission will deliver a critical payload to the Moon apart of NASA’s CLPS program, test Vulcan, and verify what the BE-4 engine is capable of. Here I will go more in-depth into the recent updates on this mission, why it’s so important, what to expect in the future, and more.
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Well unsurprisingly it would appear there are going to be delays in the first flight of the Vulcan-Centaur:


United Launch Alliance has been working on Vulcan since 2014. In the time since then, there have been quite a few delays with the maiden flight originally scheduled to happen in 2019. These delays had to do with ULA’s progress, Blue Origin and the BE-4, and even Astrobotic who is providing the primary payload on this initial launch.
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One of the most recent delays came late last year when Astrobotic requested more time in order to prepare their CLPS Moon lander. This changed the launch date from quarter 4 of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. However, now in January, it looks like important mission milestones and final preparation that were expected to have happened by now have not. Combine this with fewer updates from the company and it looks like some more delays may be announced soon.
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This being said, Astrobotic seems to now be making good progress on the Peregrine lunar lander. Enough progress that the payload should be ready and delivered in the coming months. Here I will go more in-depth into some of the possible delays ULA and Vulcan are facing, the history of attempting to launch this rocket, what to expect in the future, and more.
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TheSpaceBucket has another update on the first Vulcan stage:


For almost a decade now United Launch Alliance has been working to develop, manufacture, and test Vulcan. This next generation launch vehicle has a lot riding on its success as the company works to retire its other rockets and replace them with Vulcan. In the last couple of months, progress has been ramping up as the first launch of this rocket closes in.
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Just yesterday ULA CEO Tory Bruno gave a bunch of new updates regarding this first test article and its progress related to launch. As we speak, both the first and second stages of Vulcan are on their way to ULA’s launch pad at the Cape. Once here, the rocket will complete some final testing, have its payloads integrated, and attempt its maiden launch in the first quarter of this year.
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While this recent shipment confirmation is a big deal, it also confirms that ULA is a bit behind schedule as of now. Months ago in October, the plan was to ship the rocket in November and complete its testing by December, this couple of month delay could push the launch back a few months. Here I will go more in-depth into yesterday’s shipment, the updated schedule of Vulcan, what to expect in the future, and more.
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Finally the first Vulcan arrived at KSC
FnFpSIhX0AADf9r
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1616937544154742784
View: https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1616937544154742784


Arrival! Welcome back to Port Canaveral, Rocketship! @NASASpaceflight

Carrying the Vulcan rocket

Live feed: nsf.live/spacecoast
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1616992838717427714
View: https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1616992838717427714


Here’s a little #ToryTimelapse for your viewing pleasure #VulcanRocket, #ULARocketShip #CountdowntoVulcan
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1616959238290690051
View: https://twitter.com/smilesimplify/status/1616959238290690051


What sorts of tests need to be done before Vulcan’s very first launch attempt?
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1617215737856417793
View: https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1617215737856417793


Lots. Stack the booster and Centaur. Test those connections. Redo the path finder tanking test series (this time with both stages). Wet Dress Rehearsal. WDR through Flight readiness firing. Back to the VIF. Stack payload. Test all those interfaces. Test the spacecrafts. Roll & go
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1617223220561600518
View: https://twitter.com/stapling/status/1617223220561600518


Are the payloads all ready?
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1617223651379773440
View: https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1617223651379773440


Not yet, but getting there
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publiusr said:
They are giving my state a bad name.

Now folks want to tear down what we already have:


But something we’re trying to unload?

Augh!

Tory—you should have made Vulcan like Pyrios!
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It deserves it. Its politics have set NASA back decades.
Marshall has been resting on its laurels for more than 1/2 century. It hasn't done anything innovative for decades.
The stage was never Alabama's in the first place.
Pyrios would be worse booster than the current Atlas V booster. The F-1 is a crappy engine if you want to reduce costs.
 
I just stumbled across this video by TheSpaceBucket concerning the Vulcan stage's arrival:


For close to a decade United Launch Alliance has been working on a next-generation launch vehicle expected to become the company’s new workhorse. While currently not reusable, the Vulcan Centaur features an impressive payload capacity, new BE-4 engines, and plans for partial reuse technology in the future. The last few months have been very busy for this rocket as it prepares for its maiden flight only a month or two away.
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After being shipped from ULA’s rocket factory in Decatur, the first and second stages have just arrived at the Cape via boat. With this journey complete, there are only a few final steps necessary before we see history be made. This includes a wet dress rehearsal and a flight readiness firing. If these tests show promising results, a launch as early as March is possible.
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Another exciting part about this maiden flight has to do with the race for the first LOX/LNG rocket to fly. Other rockets such as Relativity’s Terran 1, and SpaceX’s Starship, are both on the pad and closing in on launches as well. Here I will go more in-depth into Vulcan’s launch site arrival, the exact tests needed prior to launch, whether or not the mission will be delayed, and more.
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The Space Bucket

thespacebucket.com thespacebucket.com
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1622654189879926798
View: https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1622654189879926798


Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural ULA #VulcanRocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing! #CountdowntoVulcan

Read more in the blog:
Click to expand...

blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Rocket stacked for inaugural launch

Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing.
blog.ulalaunch.com blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Rocket stacked for inaugural launch
February 6, 2023

Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing.

ULA technicians successfully stacked the all-American rocket atop the Vulcan Launch Platform (VLP) in the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in preparation for the first launch, called Certification Flight-1.

Teams used processes and procedures evolved from time-proven Atlas V operations to perform the activities known as Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS).

The work began Jan. 25 when the first stage was trucked to the doorway of the 286-foot-tall (87-meter) VIF for cranes to grapple both ends of the 109.2-foot-long (33.3-meter) stage and then rotate it vertically. Once upright, Vulcan was lifted into the building and secured to the four support fixtures on the VLP.

The following day, the 18.8-foot-tall (5.7-meter) interstage was attached to the top of the first stage. This hollow barrel segment connects the Vulcan stages during vehicle stacking operations for launch and encloses the twin RL10 upper stage engines during the boost phase of flight.

The high-performance Centaur V upper stage, measuring 38.5 feet (11.7 meters) in length, was hoisted into place to complete the initial buildup of the first Vulcan rocket, a major milestone that was achieved through the commitment and diligence of the entire ULA workforce, support contractors and suppliers from across the country.

Integrated testing of the rocket stages, VLP and ground systems will be conducted within the VIF over the next few weeks before Vulcan rolls out to Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 to undergo a series of fuel-loading and countdown exercises. The testing culminates with a Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) to practice the full day-of-launch timeline complete with a brief ignition of the rocket's main engines.

After the FRF, the rocket will return to the VIF for installation of two solid rocket boosters and its payload for launch. The first launch will send Astrobotic’s Peregrine commercial lunar lander to intercept the Moon, deploy two Project Kuiper prototype broadband satellites into low Earth orbit for Amazon and carry a Celestis memorial payload into deep space.

Vulcan's innovative technology transforms the future of launch, meeting the challenging requirements now demanded by an expanding spectrum of missions that are essential to U.S. national defense – from low Earth orbit to high-energy orbits. Satisfying those specifications means Vulcan is well-suited for commercial and civil markets, including launching dual-manifested payloads and missions across the solar system.

Vulcan offers customers unprecedented flexibility in a single system. The single-core Vulcan has more lifting capacity than the Delta IV Heavy with significantly reduced cost and streamlined processes.

This new rocket can be built in less than half the time as its predecessors, launched at a much higher tempo, and will carry forward ULA's unique suite of technologies that give our rockets the world's most precise orbital insertions.
Click to expand...
 
Flyaway said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1622654189879926798
View: https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1622654189879926798


Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural ULA #VulcanRocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing! #CountdowntoVulcan

Read more in the blog:
Click to expand...

blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Rocket stacked for inaugural launch

Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing.
blog.ulalaunch.com blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Rocket stacked for inaugural launch
February 6, 2023

Embarking on a bold new era to broaden affordable access to space, the inaugural United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket now stands assembled at its Florida launch site for pre-flight testing.

ULA technicians successfully stacked the all-American rocket atop the Vulcan Launch Platform (VLP) in the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in preparation for the first launch, called Certification Flight-1.

Teams used processes and procedures evolved from time-proven Atlas V operations to perform the activities known as Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS).

The work began Jan. 25 when the first stage was trucked to the doorway of the 286-foot-tall (87-meter) VIF for cranes to grapple both ends of the 109.2-foot-long (33.3-meter) stage and then rotate it vertically. Once upright, Vulcan was lifted into the building and secured to the four support fixtures on the VLP.

The following day, the 18.8-foot-tall (5.7-meter) interstage was attached to the top of the first stage. This hollow barrel segment connects the Vulcan stages during vehicle stacking operations for launch and encloses the twin RL10 upper stage engines during the boost phase of flight.

The high-performance Centaur V upper stage, measuring 38.5 feet (11.7 meters) in length, was hoisted into place to complete the initial buildup of the first Vulcan rocket, a major milestone that was achieved through the commitment and diligence of the entire ULA workforce, support contractors and suppliers from across the country.

Integrated testing of the rocket stages, VLP and ground systems will be conducted within the VIF over the next few weeks before Vulcan rolls out to Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 to undergo a series of fuel-loading and countdown exercises. The testing culminates with a Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) to practice the full day-of-launch timeline complete with a brief ignition of the rocket's main engines.

After the FRF, the rocket will return to the VIF for installation of two solid rocket boosters and its payload for launch. The first launch will send Astrobotic’s Peregrine commercial lunar lander to intercept the Moon, deploy two Project Kuiper prototype broadband satellites into low Earth orbit for Amazon and carry a Celestis memorial payload into deep space.

Vulcan's innovative technology transforms the future of launch, meeting the challenging requirements now demanded by an expanding spectrum of missions that are essential to U.S. national defense – from low Earth orbit to high-energy orbits. Satisfying those specifications means Vulcan is well-suited for commercial and civil markets, including launching dual-manifested payloads and missions across the solar system.

Vulcan offers customers unprecedented flexibility in a single system. The single-core Vulcan has more lifting capacity than the Delta IV Heavy with significantly reduced cost and streamlined processes.

This new rocket can be built in less than half the time as its predecessors, launched at a much higher tempo, and will carry forward ULA's unique suite of technologies that give our rockets the world's most precise orbital insertions.
Click to expand...
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Is there any payload being carried for the launch or is it just for testing?
 
TheSpaceBucket has put out a new video about the current status of the first Vulcan Centaur launcher:


United Launch Alliance is officially on the home stretch toward Vulcan’s first-ever launch. For the last couple of years, a host of issues relating to different hardware and engines has pushed this maiden flight back further and further. While there still is some work and testing necessary, we can expect a launch as early as next month in March, assuming everything goes according to plan.
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In the last few weeks, Vulcan’s core stages and equipment arrived at the launch site before being stacked vertically. With this complete, the company will ensure everything is in place before heading over to the pad for a flight readiness firing. This will mark many firsts including two BE-4 flight engines integrated on a rocket and igniting for the first time ever.
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As ULA’s other launch vehicles slowly come to the end of their schedule and life, Vulcan is expected to take their place. Even though many next-generation launch vehicles are shifting toward either full or partial reusability, ULA is not interested and decided to go the expendable route. Here I will go more in-depth into the recent updates from ULA, when we should expect final testing, integration of the SRBs, and more.
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Full article here - https://thespacebucket.com/ula-vulcan-booster-integration-prep-final-testing-more/
 
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1628894298950324224
View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1628894298950324224


Bruno: Pacing item for the launch date is finishing up the formal qualification of the BE-4 rocket engine. It' going well in general, but it’s taking a little longer than anticipated.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1628894884982579201
View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1628894884982579201


Bruno says the current plan for additional testing will require about six more weeks. This would put Vulcan in a mid-April timeframe. However there is payload readiness to consider.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1628893860154802183
View: https://twitter.com/TGMetsFan98/status/1628893860154802183?t=PIKvaB91W3dXCV0GSnLZ0Q&s=19

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628894055026262016
View: https://twitter.com/TGMetsFan98/status/1628894055026262016?t=Y7IxJ0jdyZiq6owyZxrVCg&s=19

United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno is providing an update on Vulcan's progress toward its first launch.

Stack will roll out to the pad at SLC-41 for at least one, possibly more tanking tests. This will be followed by at least one Wet Dress Rehearsal on the countdown timeline.
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This will be followed by another countdown that culminates in a flight readiness firing, reaching about 70% power for about 3.5 seconds.
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The pacing item for both flight readiness firing and launch is finishing the qualification of the BE-4 engines.
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ORLANDO — The first launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket is now scheduled for no earlier than May 4, a date the company says is based on remaining tests of the rocket and its main engines as well as launch windows for its primary payload.
In a call with reporters Feb. 23, ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno announced the date for the long-awaited inaugural flight of the rocket as the company gears up for a series of tests of the rocket at Space Launch Complex 41. The launch will carry Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, two demonstration satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband constellation and a payload for space memorial company Celestis.
“We are now targeting the fourth of May so we plan our manifest around that and be ready to fly that payload when it comes in,” Bruno said. ULA will have a window of about four days to conduct the launch.
Several factors led ULA to select that date. One is the mission requirements of Peregrine, the primary payload on the launch, which has a window of only a few days each month to fly its trajectory to the moon.
A second is a series of tests of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, currently in the vertical integration facility adjacent to the pad. Bruno said the rocket will roll out to the pad “a few days from now” for tanking tests followed by at least one wet dress rehearsal where the vehicle is fully loaded with propellants and goes through a practice countdown, stopping just before engine ignition.

Source: https://spacenews.com/ula-announces-may-launch-of-first-vulcan/
 
TheSpaceBucket has a new video out about the upcoming BE4 test:


It has been over a decade since the BE-4 engine began development. In the time since then, there have been quite a few setbacks along with important milestones. Something you would expect when attempting to create a next-generation rocket engine hoping to power multiple future launch vehicles. All of which has led up to the engine’s most important test yet, Vulcan’s first flight.
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Vulcan is a new rocket from United Launch Alliance set to lift off for the first time on May 4th. A deal between ULA and Blue Origin years ago facilitated the addition of BE-4’s engines on the first stage of Vulcan rather than Russian made hardware. Now in the final months leading up to this mission, the BE-4 engines are completing all the final tests and checks necessary.
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These two BE-4 engines together generate 550,000 pound force of thrust per engine. After an extensive development and test history, they are almost ready for a historic launch and monumental moment for Blue Origin and its future projects. Here I will go more in-depth into the final BE-4 engine tests, the design of these engines, what to expect in the coming weeks, and more.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1633919603792556032
View: https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1633919603792556032


ULA's #VulcanRocket is atop its Cape Canaveral, FL launch pad for the next phase of qualification testing in preparation for its inaugural flight. #CountdowntoVulcan

Learn more about the upcoming tanking tests:
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blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Inaugural rocket moved to launch pad for tanking tests

The first United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket is atop its Cape Canaveral launch pad for the next phase of qualification testing in preparation for the inaugural flight.
blog.ulalaunch.com blog.ulalaunch.com

Vulcan: Inaugural rocket moved to launch pad for tanking tests
March 9, 2023

The first United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket is atop its Cape Canaveral launch pad for the next phase of qualification testing in preparation for the inaugural flight.

Over the next several days, ULA engineers and technicians will put the rocket through pathfinder tests to validate the successful performance of the Vulcan and Centaur stages, Vulcan Launch Platform (VLP), pad facilities and ground support systems.

The tanking tests will verify countdown steps, procedures and timelines and offer the opportunity to certify the launch team through real-world experience operating the hardware.

The VLP transported the rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 on March 9, riding the rails that connect the two locations. The rocket was stacked on the VLP inside the VIF in late January and a series of readiness checks since then confirmed that the vehicle was ready to move on to launch pad testing.

Each tanking day is planned to be lengthy and incorporate extensive special test objectives. The expected duration of tests necessitates two shifts of launch console operators, dividing the crew into the "Preps and Tanking Team" and the "Detanking and Securing Team."

After the tanking tests are accomplished, the VLP will disengage from the pad systems for transport of the Vulcan rocket to the VIF for the next step in the countdown to the inaugural launch.

The first flight includes payloads for three distinctly different missions, deploying two Project Kuiper prototype broadband satellites into low Earth orbit for Amazon, sending Astrobotic's Peregrine commercial lunar lander to intercept the Moon and carrying a Celestis memorial payload into deep space.
Click to expand...
 
TheSpaceBucket has a new video out about the final round testing for the Vulcan Centaur before it liftoffs:


United Launch Alliance (ULA) is known as a very reliable launch provider within the industry with a lot of experience. As its other rockets such as the Delta IV Heavy and Atlas V complete some of their final launches, a new rocket is getting ready to take the stage. The Vulcan Centaur has been under development for years and its maiden flight is scheduled in early May.
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Just days ago, the entire rocket with the exception of its fairings was rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility and onto the launch pad. As I speak, Vulcan is going through the next phase of qualification testing in preparation for the inaugural flight. This includes a host of unique tests to make sure the stage, its engines, the avionics, and different various components are all working as expected.
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Assuming the results are promising, a full flight readiness firing will be attempted. The next step will be the first launch of Vulcan and its hardware, not to mention three different payloads heading to various destinations. Here I will go more in-depth into Vulcan’s current testing, what ULA is working on, what to expect in the coming weeks, and more.
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Full article here - https://thespacebucket.com/ulas-vulca...
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ULA is putting on a cute brave game face, but I think Tory Bruno is just whistling past the graveyard in the face of SpaceX. In my view, ULA is OBE.
 
Last edited:
martinbayer said:
ULA is putting on a cute brave game face, but I think Tory Bruno is just whistling past the graveyard in the face of SpaceX. In my view, ULA is OBE.
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That’s unlikely to be the case in both the near and medium term due to the US government wanting to retain a plurality of access to space. Also it has always seemed strange to me that the same people decried ULA’s monopoly in the past now welcome Space X approaching the same position. Nobody should welcome a monopoly in the launch market.
 
Flyaway said:
That’s unlikely to be the case in both the near and medium term due to the US government wanting to retain a plurality of access to space. Also it has always seemed strange to me that the same people decried ULA’s monopoly in the past now welcome Space X approaching the same position. Nobody should welcome a monopoly in the launch market.
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As one with first hand experience of ULA’s monopoly I can explain the difference in circumstances why there is no contradiction. The big difference between the ULA monopoly and the potential SpaceX monopoly is that ULA never was competitive on the international launch market (other than the 1st handful that were sold at a deep discount), they priced their products accordingly. Even if ULA went under tomorrow, SpaceX has enough international competition that there is a price ceiling which never existed for ULA (they never obtained the market share SpaceX has). Second, when I showed up at the EELV SPO 13 years ago, there was no plan to compete services. While I was there we did write the New Entrant’s Certification Guide (which I reviewed) and there are now multiple potential competitors that can/would compete for services should ULA go away, so any SpaceX monopoly would be short lived.

So, the premise of the statement is a bit off since the nature of the industry is a bit different than it was in 2010. Today SpaceX wouldn’t be the type of monopoly ULA became when it formed.
 

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