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When will ULA launch this year?

We’re soon closing the chapter on the first quarter of 2025, and so far the only companies in the headlines for launches have been SpaceX and Rocket Lab, with other companies like Firefly soon to follow. However, SpaceX’s supposed competitor has been nowhere, still waiting on final work from the Space Force that its Vulcan rocket is cleared to launch the missions it was contracted to do. So when might ULA, Vulcan, or Atlas finally launch next?

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Terminal Count: Blue Origin aiming for New Glenn debut and Starship Flight 7

We’re only into the first full week of the new year, and it’s already looking pretty packed, with Blue Origin looking to debut its New Glenn rocket while SpaceX is gearing up for its seventh Starship rocket. Both of these missions could have dynamic schedules, so it’s possible we’ll just be stuck with a handful of Starlink missions as well.

Checkout the podcast version of Terminal Count here.

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Is 2025 the year we find a real SpaceX competitor?

Falcon 9 dragon liftoff

SpaceX has been the de facto launcher for most of the world ever since the Falcon 9 started ramping up its launch cadence and lowering costs about a decade ago. While many companies say they compete with SpaceX, in reality, they are a monopoly for commercial launch; if you need something done quickly, it’s going to be on a Falcon 9. Is 2025 finally the year we see another option emerge?

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This Week in Space: Starship operations could return to Florida

New photos and planning documents show potential Starship-sized expansions at SpaceX‘s Roberts Road facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The company is also planning four Falcon 9 launches this week. Meanwhile, its closest thing to a near-term competitor, Blue Origin, is gearing up to debut its New Glenn rocket.

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ULA gets second Vulcan launch off the ground, now hopeful for certification

ULA launched its Cert-2 mission on its brand new Vulcan rocket early Friday morning. While there was an obvious anomaly in one of its solid rocket motors, the company states the mission was a success. Now ULA and the Space Force will have to review flight data in order to gain certification for its lucrative National Security Space Launch missions.

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Sierra Space steps aside for Vulcan Cert-2 mission as next rocket arrives at Cape

On Saturday ULA received its second Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral from its factory in Alabama. This marks the start of a second launch campaign to certify the launch vehicle for national security missions. Then today, ULA announced that its next mission will fly an inert payload instead of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser due to scheduling delays.

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