I'm a software engineer with about 10 years experience in missile defense (Northrop Grumman), but I really always just wanted to work on rockets. Being from Colorado Springs, defense and MDA was a pretty low resistance path to get started on in my career (and missile defense is rocket-adjacent), but I always dreamed of working in the space industry and not just tracking missiles.

I recently applied to a job posting in Centennial for a simulation software engineer (modeling and sim is most of my background) and I want to know what any of your experiences might be working for ULA? Maybe specifically in the Denver area?

Thanks! And if this isn't a great place to ask about careers there, I'd appreciate some pointers in a better direction. :)

Hi all,

I had the opportunity to place remote cameras by the pad down for the first time before the LEO-8 Atlas V 551 mission. In the days leading up to launch, I had one shot in mind - this one! This is a slow motion shot of the 5 SRBS and 2 RD-180s (although only one is visible) shortly after ignition. The definition on the plumes is crazy!

This is definitely one of the coolest shots I've ever had the opportunity to capture during my time as media, and definitely one of the coolest rockets I've ever seen. Hope you guys share my enthusiasm!

Long live Atlas!

https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2073478307736125655

Was thinking about this today, after ISS, what readily available medium-Heavy lift launchers will there be for these commercial space station ideas?

Falcons faring size seems limited for this role and they want to retire it, and starship would need to be in service let alone a payload door version.

New Glenn perhaps but it needs to prove its payload capacity and reliability.

So perhaps Vulcan will have a niche for launching single module or multiple space station modules for commercial organisations?

Had the incredible privilege to place remote cameras at SLC-41 and watch the launch from ~3 miles away. Thought I’d share some of my work from this one. Gonna miss 551, she was a beaut.

https://xcancel.com/northropgrumman/status/2072757334103781766

I know they’re still contracted with Starliner, but with how well that’s going, I wonder what chances we’ll see it fly again, certainly not in its 551 or any such form! Rest in peace to a workhorse. Here hoping Vulcan can carry the legacy.

An Atlas V 551 rocket will launch twenty-nine communications satellites to LEO for Amazon Leo. Liftoff from SLC-41 is targeting NET Thursday, 2 July from 04:24 - 04:53 UTC (12:24 - 12:53 AM EDT). This is the final flight of an Atlas V rocket with a 5-meter payload fairing; all future Atlas flights will carry Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

Watch the launch:

• ULA's webcast will begin at 04:04 UTC (12:04 AM EDT)

• Cape Canaveral launch viewing guide

Information & Resources:

Media:

• Photo gallery

Useful Links:

• Live updates from ULA

• Auto-updating reddit comment stream

• Updates from ULA on X

Just wanted to put it out there cause I haven’t see much discussion, and while I know the major issues such as rectifying the SRBs and ensure no issues with BE 4, I do wonder that the longer it takes the less life Vulcan will have.

So are they reconsidering how long they will keep flying Vulcan or how long ULA will survive at all? As it stands the only customers it seems to have left are LEO and National security and once new Glenn gets actually going it’ll be taking a lot of that LEO work.

So what’s the future for Vulcan and ULA, will they be able to fill a niche other rockets can or is a race to the bottom?

This article has some comments from Steve Metayer, vice president of Amazon Leo Production Operations:

Metayer said during Tuesday’s call with reporters that the first Vulcan launch carrying Amazon Leo satellites could still occur in the “late” third quarter of this year.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/amid-launch-bottleneck-amazon-has-hundreds-of-satellites-waiting-to-fly/

Link: https://xcancel.com/ulalaunch/status/2062931832748822993

Link: https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2061518843059540043

Before continuing I want to make it clear I get that if it was a reasonable/feasible thing ULA would do it, but I just would like to know why/why not

I feel like using those SRBs, even if not as powerful, on the interim could help overcome being stuck in a purely VC0 config. I'm not finding much other than "not as powerful" but is it a different attaching mechanism? recertification (as if they'd be able to avoid it anyway)? no more non-XLs in production?

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ is showing LA-08 as the next launch, NET July. Probably not a surprise that the current Vulcan activity is intended to bring the "new" VIF online.

ULA will launch 29 satellites for this seventh Amazon Leo mission, matching the largest and heaviest payload ever for the venerable rocket. We have successfully launched 168 Amazon satellites into space so far.

https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2060000245056995687

An Atlas V 551 rocket will launch twenty-nine communications satellites to LEO for Amazon Leo. Liftoff from SLC-41 is targeting NET Friday, 29 May from 23:33 - 00:02 UTC (7:33 - 8:02 PM EDT).

Watch the launch:

• ULA's webcast will begin at 23:13 UTC (7:13 PM EDT)

• Cape Canaveral launch viewing guide

Information & Resources:

Media:

• Photo gallery

Useful Links:

• Live updates from ULA

• Auto-updating reddit comment stream

• Updates from ULA on X

Link: https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2055363710026231918