Vulcan Centaur vs Falcon 9
Vulcan Centaur replaced Atlas V and Delta IV to keep United Launch Alliance competitive for US national security launches, a market where reliability and unusual orbits count for more than price. It buys its BE-4 engines from Blue Origin and pairs them with the long-lived Centaur upper stage.
The two articles
Rockets18 min
Vulcan Centaur
Vulcan Centaur is ULA's successor to Atlas V and Delta IV, flown since January 2024 with Blue Origin BE-4 engines and the Centaur V upper stage.
Rockets24 min
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is SpaceX's two-stage rocket, with a reusable first stage, 702 liftoffs through November 12, 2026, and crew, science, and Starlink roles.
Key differences
- Reuse: Vulcan is expendable, and ULA's SMART concept for parachuting the engine section back has stayed on paper. Falcon 9 reuses boosters as standard.
- Specialty: the Centaur V upper stage is built for long coasts and direct injection to geosynchronous orbit, the national security profiles Falcon 9 usually flies with an expendable core.
- Flight record: Vulcan has flown four times since January 2024 and delivered every payload, but two of those flights suffered solid booster nozzle failures. After the second, on USSF-87 on February 12, 2026, the Space Force paused Vulcan national security missions, and the rocket had not flown again by November 14. Its return flight carries 40 Amazon Leo satellites: as of November 14, ULA had scrubbed attempts on November 13 and 14 and reset the launch for November 15, and the Space Force plans to review data from that flight before clearing Vulcan for national security missions again. Falcon 9 had made 120 liftoffs in 2026 through November 12.
- Engines: Vulcan burns liquefied natural gas in two BE-4s and adds up to six solid boosters; Falcon 9 uses nine kerosene Merlins and no solids.
Side-by-side specifications
| Vulcan Centaur | Falcon 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | United Launch Alliance | SpaceX |
| Country | United States | United States |
| First flight | January 8, 2024 | June 4, 2010 |
| Height | 61.6 m | 70 m with standard fairing |
| Diameter | 5.4 m | 3.7 m |
| Mass | Up to 546,700 kg (VC6) | - |
| Payload to LEO | 27,200 kg (VC6) | - |
| Stages | 2, plus 0-6 solid boosters | 2 |
| Status | Active (grounded since February 2026) | Active |
| Total launches | 4 (as of November 14, 2026) | - |
| Liftoff mass | - | 549,054 kg on SpaceX's vehicle page |
| Published LEO payload | - | 22,000-22,800 kg, fully expendable |
| Physical liftoffs | - | 702 through November 12, 2026 |
| Successful first-stage landings | - | 653 through November 12, 2026 |
Figures come from each article's infobox; see the articles for sources and context.
Sources
- Vulcan Centaur vehicle page - United Launch Alliance
- Vulcan suffers solid rocket booster problem on USSF-87 - Spaceflight Now
- Space Force pauses Vulcan missions - Air and Space Forces Magazine
- Manufacturing defect blamed for Vulcan booster anomaly - SpaceNews
- ULA deals with financial challenges from Vulcan grounding - SpaceNews
- New Centaur V version readies for Amazon Leo - United Launch Alliance
- Space Force to review Vulcan commercial flights before clearing military missions - SpaceNews
- Amazon builds 1,000th satellite, will launch space internet service by end of year - Ars Technica
- Amazon Leo mission updates - Amazon
- ULA delays to Sunday Vulcan rocket launch of 40 Leo satellites for Amazon - Spaceflight Now
- Vulcan launch catalog - Jonathan McDowell, GCAT
- Falcon 9 launch catalog - Jonathan McDowell, GCAT
- Falcon 9 vehicle page - SpaceX