What is Vulcan Centaur?
[[File:Vulcan Centaur rollout (Peregrine) (cropped).jpg|right|200px]] '''Vulcan Centaur''' is a rocket created by [[United Launch Alliance]] (ULA). It is designed for the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government's]] [[National Security Space Launch]] (NSSL) program for use by the [[United States Space Force]] and U.S. intelligence agencies for national security satellite launches. Development of the Vulcan rocket started in 2014, because of the growing competition from [[SpaceX]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/with-vulcans-liftoff-imminent-united-launch-alliance-flies-into-uncertain-future/|title=As Vulcan nears debut, it’s not clear whether ULA will live long and prosper|work=[[Ars Technica]]|author=Eric Berger |date=January 5, 2024|access-date=January 8, 2024}}</ref> Vulcan Centaur launched for the first time on January 8, 2024, successfully carrying [[Astrobotic Technology]]'s [[Peregrine Mission One|''Peregrine'' lunar lander]], the first mission on NASA's [[Commercial Lunar Payload Services]] (CLPS) program.<ref name=spacenews-launch>{{cite web|author=Jeff Foust|url=https://spacenews.com/vulcan-centaur-launches-peregrine-lunar-lander-on-inaugural-mission/|title=Vulcan Centaur launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural mission|work=Spacenews|date=January 8, 2024|access-date=January 8, 2024}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{sci-stub}} [[Category:NASA spacecraft]]