ULA has delayed the launch of its Vulcan rocket with its Centaur upper stage. The cause was an explosion that occurred during
What is known
During the tests on March 29, 2023, anhydrogen leakage in the upper stage upper stage engine. After the explosion, the rocket was damaged and may need to be repaired. In any case, the launch scheduled for May 4, 2023 will not take place. ULA has postponed the launch for the summer, but the exact date is still unknown.
Outside of the test rig/stand.Test article is inside (you can't see it). Hydrogen leak. H2 accumulated inside the rig. Found an ignition source. Burned fast. Over pressure caved in our forward dome and damaged the rig. pic.twitter.com/0d0KpI1ggj
— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) April 13, 2023
Vulcan Centaur has been in development for 9 years.It will replace the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, which are powered by Russian RD-180 engines. Vulcan uses a BE-4 powerplant made by Blue Origin.
ULA rocket will be able to put into orbitcargo weighing up to 7.7 tons. The Vulcan is powered by liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage runs on liquid hydrogen and oxygen.