As SpaceX and NASA prepare to launch Crew-12 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Friday morning, their counterparts at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) are just hours away from sending the Vulcan Centaur rocket into the sky on only its fourth flight.
A two-hour launch window opens at 3:30 a.m. ET (12:30 a.m. PT) on Thursday, February 12 at Space Launch Complex-41 in Cape Canaveral.
The USSF-87 mission is for the US Space Force and will place spacecraft directly into geosynchronous orbit approximately 22,000 miles above Earth. While the finer details of the mission are secret, we do know that the two satellites will monitor and track objects in Earth orbit.
Thursday’s mission will set new performance and endurance records for ULA’s relatively new Vulcan rocket, with USSF-87 being the heaviest payload the vehicle has carried to date, according to the space company. The Vulcan launcher and Centaur upper stage will also embark on the rocket’s longest mission to date, lasting nearly 10 hours from launch to completion.
“The countdown continues smoothly today at Space Launch Complex-41 to prepare the Vulcan rocket for launch,” ULA said in an update on its website. “Final system preparations are underway, valve function tests have been completed and the Centaur-V helium cylinders are pressurized. The flame canister cover will soon be removed by launch pad technicians and the environmental control system cooldown is imminent.”
The Vulcan Centaur will fly at full power with four solid-fuel rockets, which should make for a spectacular sight as it soars high over the East Coast. The rocket, which made its maiden flight in January 2024, will launch for the first time since August last year.
You can watch the launch live via the video player embedded at the top of this page. The broadcast begins at 3:10 a.m. ET, about 20 minutes before kickoff.
Although it’s likely the rocket will launch tonight, be sure to check ULA’s X account in case any last-minute technical issues arise that force the team to abort the launch.
