While the launch of the CERT-2 demonstration launch for the newly introduced Vulcan Centaur rocket carried noting of importance – a 1.5 metric ton inert mass replaced the too-late-to-fly Dream Chaser space plane originally planned to be carried – nevertheless the flight had a key importance for its operator, the United Launch Alliance (ULA). ULA has received tens of launch contracts from the US government and the US military, but cannot yet fly them until it has past its certification tests. The first certification CERT-1 launch of Vulcan-Centaur in January carrying the Peregrine lunar lander went more or less perfectly, albeit that the later landing mission was later scuppered by the rupture of an oxidiser tank aboard the craft. This second CERT 2 flight was also successful, but it was not without incident.
Vulcan Centaur CERT 2 launch. Courtesy: ULA
After some technical hold ups due to some temperature measurements being out of range, the originally planned night launch was authorised to go ahead after dawn had broken. Lift off took place at 1125 GMT on 4 October 2024 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The ULA Vulcan Centaur, launched in VC2S (two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) plus short fairing) configuration successfully placed its Centaur upper-stage and attached mass simulator payload into the target LEO holding orbit, and then, via later centaur firings into a heliocentric orbit. However, during launch at T+37 seconds one of the Northrop Grumman-built GEM 63XL SRBs (SRB-1) appeared to suffer some damage at its nozzle causing a visibly abnormal plume to occur and a part of it to visibly depart the rocket. The SRB’s themselves appeared to fall from the Liquid oxygen/liquid methane powered Blue Origin BE-4 engine pair core over 25 seconds later than expected. The core stage and the liquid oxygen(LOX)/Liquid hydrogen powered Centaur V upper-stage made up for any steering and performance/thrust shortfall to achieve its targeted parking orbit and later final trajectory.
The flight was originally planned to carry a test flight of the orbital space plane Dream Chaser but this was not ready in time. This flight was CERT 2, the second certification flight for US government launches.
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The above footage from D. Wise/NSF clearly shows an SRB nozzle part depart the rest of the rocket.
Comment by David Todd: While ULA’s CEO Tory Bruno was a little coy about releasing detailed information about the targeted and achieved orbits, ULA’s ‘Bullseye’ launch result chart with a C3 (Characteristic Energy) as one of its parameters, appeared to confirm that the launch was very accurate. As such, we at Slingshot Aerospace’s Seradata team will give ULA the benefit of any doubt and mark this launch as a success. In fact, its successful achievement of orbit is a testament to the robustness of the Vulcan Centaur rocket and its thrust vectoring systems. Some, however, have wondered why ULA has been treated so kindly by the launch authorities such as the FAA over this event, given that it has currently grounded most launches of the SpaceX Falcon 9 of an anomaly related to its upper stage de-orbit firing.
CERT-2 launch Bullseye plot shows its apparent accuracy. Courtesy: ULA
