ULA Selects Blue Origin BE-4 Engine for Vulcan Rocket

The Vulcan rocket Image credit: ULA

The United States Launch League (ULA) and United Origin Alliance (ULA) of NewSpace chose the Blue-4 BE-4 engine to power the new Vulcan Centaur rocket.

"We are excited to partner with Blue Origin and hope the first flight of our next-generation launcher will be a success," said Tory Bruno, ULA's President and CEO, in a statement released by the company.

The clash between the two companies had apparently been a defeat for Blue, the announcement made today seeming to be more a confirmation than a surprise. Nevertheless, Blue Origin was naturally pleased to have its engine powered by methalox – that is to say, it burns a mixture of liquid methane (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX) – the BE-4 engine selected to ensure the first-stage propulsion of Vulcan.

"Today is an excellent day for the Blue Origin team. We are very honored that United Launch Alliance has chosen Blue Origin's LOX / LNG BE-4 as the engine for the first stage of their Vulcan rocket, "said Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith in a statement released by Blue Origin.

"We can not thank Tory Bruno and the entire United Launch Alliance team for entrusting our engine to Vulcan. The Blue team is looking forward to developing our production site for our BE-4 engine in Huntsville over the next year, "concluded Smith.

Blue Origin BE-4 engine firing test. ULA chose the BE-4 to power the first stage of the Vulcan Centaur rocket. Photo credit: Blue Origin

The first stage of Vulcan will consist of two BE-4 engines, each delivering 550,000 pounds (2,446.5 kilonewtons) of thrust at sea level. Vulcan will be able to add up to 25,401 kg (56,000 lbs) at low Earth orbit (LEO) and 14,000 pounds (14,969 kg) at a geostationary transfer (GTO). or 16,000 pounds (7,257 kilograms) directly into geostationary orbit.

"Our new rocket will be superior in terms of reliability, cost and capacity – a system for all missions," said Bruno.

The city of Huntsville has also welcomed the choice of the BE-4 and reinforced its nickname "The Rocket City". The northern city of Alabama and its surrounding metropolitan area host not only the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) of NASA, but also the United Launch Alliance, Aerojet Rocketdyne, the RUAG Space Center, the center American Space, Space Camp, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corporation, with dozens of others.

"This will add to our portfolio and make us the center of rocket propulsion in the world. There will be a lot of Huntsville in this rocket, "said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle in an article on AL.com.

Although Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR-1 engine was not selected by ULA, the company still plays a key role in the propulsion of the new rocket. Indeed, the Aerojet RL10 has been a mainstay of the ULA Atlas and Delta vehicles for years, a trend that will continue as the RL10 has already been selected to propel the Centaur stage or higher stage of Vulcan.

"Powerful partners are critical to the cutting-edge innovation that drives us into the next generation in space and ensures mission success," concluded Bruno. "Partnerships with Blue Origin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Avionics Systems and RUAG will enable the Vulcan Centaur to transform the future of space launch for government and commercial markets, making it more affordable, accessible and commercially available. "

ULA aims 2020 for the inaugural launch of Vulcan Centaur.

Courtesy of Blue Origin

Tagged: Stories of blue lead BE-4 United Launch Alliance Vulcan

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Curt Godwin

Curt Godwin has always been a proponent of space exploration. He has stared at the sky since his youngest age. Initially specializing in nuclear engineering, Curt later decided that computers would be a more interesting and safe career field. He has worked in educational technology for over 20 years and has been published in industry journals and by peers. He is a respected authority in wireless network engineering. Throughout this period of his life, he has maintained his love for space and recounted his experiences at various NASA events, both on his personal blog and as an independent media representative.