Aerospace company United Launch Alliance (ULA) has the first confirmed customer to use the next-generation Vulcan Centaur heavy-lift launch vehicle to deliver payloads into orbit.
Sierra Nevada Corp. has awarded ULA a contract for at least six Vulcan Centaur launches to send the reusable Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit to deliver cargo to the crew of the International Space Station.
The first of six Dream Chaser missions to deliver cargo to the ISS is scheduled to take place in late 2021 from Cape Canaveral during the second flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, the first launch of which is scheduled for early that year.
Sierra Nevada had previously contracted ULA for two Dream Chaser launches on Atlas 5 rockets. These two reservations were upgraded to a Vulcan mission, followed by an additional four Vulcan Centaur launches on Dream Chaser missions.
A key factor in choosing Vulcan Centaur for additional launches was a longstanding partnership with ULA, Sierra Nevada said.
βI think ULA had a pretty significant advantage because we worked with them from day one,β said Eren Ozmen, owner and president of Sierra Nevada, adding that the company offered a really competitive price.
Source: 3dnews.ru