ULA Tory Bruno revealed the first Vulcan launch somehow better and unlike SpaceX...

following SpaceX is stunning Thanksgiving Triumph with Starship the eager space Community can now set their sights on an exhilarating Christmas spectacle as Ula gears up for the inaugural launch of the Vulcan Centaur this launch stands even more ambitious than previous attempts as ula's CEO Tor Bruno is steadfastly aiming for flawless execution nurturing aspirations for a triumphant maiden voyage but can this debut be an instant success does this approach outshine spacex's strategy discover the answers in today's episode of great SpaceX United launch Alliance or Ula for short is gearing up for an extraordinary debut of its new rocket the Vulcan Centaur making a significant advancement beyond the veteran Atlas 5 and Delta 4 Vehicles set to take flight from Cape canaval space force station in Florida on Christmas Eve the vehicle recently achieved a crucial Milestone as its upper stage merged with its booster dubbed cert one or certification one the launch demands meticulous preparation for an instantaneous liftoff scheduled precisely at 1:49 a.m. eastern on December 24th backup Windows around similar times on the 25th and 26th stand prepared should the initial launch opportunity slip by preparations are underway for a wet dress rehearsal in early December simulating launch conditions with the fully assembled Vulcan rocket fueled as it would be on launch Day aerojet Rocket D Engineers will closely monitor the centaur's engine performance during this rehearsal to ensure the cooling and conditioning aligned with launch requirements Jim Mouse AET Rocket's VP of program execution and integration affirmed Med their realtime scrutiny of engine data during the rehearsal to ensure everything functions seamlessly Ron Fortson ula's director and general manager of launch operations expressed satisfaction with the smooth integration of the rl10 c-1 d1a with the Vulcan vehicle as liftoff approaches the rocket will be rolled out to the Launchpad a day ahead of time initiating the countdown about 12 hours prior to LIF off setting the stage for a historic launch into the vast expanse of space everything went well in our production facility and then here it already comes fully assembled and we just made it with our rocket and we're ready to go Fortson said so it's been a great activity astrobotic is on the brink of its inaugural lunar Journey potentially etching a historic Milestone as the Premier Commercial entity to achieve a soft landing on the moon should the mission prove successful the path leading to the Launchpad for the Vulcan Centaur has been fraught with setbacks notably a series of delays highlighted by a March incident involving an explosion during upper stage testing pushed back the anticipated launch initially slated for the first half of the Year despite these challenges a promising Horizon awaits the Vulcan Centaur postert one with a backlog of 70 missions for both governmental and Commercial clientele ula's CEO Bruno envisions a robust future for the launch vehicle aiming for a frequency of two launches per month by the conclusion of 2025 Bruno's anticipation for the imminent launch persists undeterred by its coincidental timing with the festive season this marks the culmination of a lengthy multi-year Journey For Us Bruno expressed we're brimming with excitement while launching on Christmas might seem unconventional it's the greatest present I could wish for this year Ula is poised for a Monumental achievement as Vulcan takes its Maiden flight into the skies marking a significant milestone for the rocket can you recall the inaugural launches of Starship or Falcon 9 always a blazing spectacle isn't it however for Bruno an impending failure with Vulcan isn't the desired outcome test fail fix is not a luxury I've had available to me in quite a few years it's a valid approach can get you initial capability faster but generally takes longer to get to your known objective requirements depends on what's important in situation he said in a tweet on X this method mirrors that of NASA Jean cran the legendary flight director at Nasa titled his Memoir failure is not an option reflecting his days in Mission Control during the Mercury missions through the Apollo program this mindset guided crayons and teams of Engineers at the Johnson Space Center to heroically bring the crew of Apollo 13 safely home however some believe that since the Golden Era of Apollo this mindset has made NASA's managers over ly cautious and risk adverse Elon Musk well over a decade ago had already made it clear he doesn't subscribe to this belief even before the failure of his first Falcon 1 prototype musk expressed his stance in a 2005 interview for a Fast Company article the SpaceX founder delivered what has since become one of his most iconic quotes there is a silly notion that failure is not an option at Nasa failure is an option here if things are not failing you are not innovating enough and well innovating is the key word at the end of the day obliterating costly Hardware isn't an enjoyable experience for anyone be it within the government or the commercial sector regrettably sometimes there's a necessity to destroy a few things to get them right and given the way our culture is structured the private sector possesses more leeway to do so compared to NASA at present particularly the segment of the sector with sufficient resources to dismantle and replace Hardware thus Here We Stand musk a figure who has witnessed the demise of more sizable Rockets than anyone in the last decade recently witnessed the demise of two complete Starships the mightiest super heavy lift rockets on Earth however musk hasn't simply destroyed New and untested vehicles for the sake of it instead he's utilized these failures to learn and enhance their design more impressively musk and his team have actively utilized the acquired data to refine subsequent iterations this is where he and other new space Enterprises gain a distinct Edge over their governmental competitors their process only concludes when they unveil an exceptionally Dependable costeffective reusable space transport system that operates without a hitch what we do comprehend is that should something go a one unless there's an unusual anomaly in its trajectory fatalities are unlikely in case of a failure two should failure occur SpaceX will diligently identify the issue Rectify it ready another craft and embark on a fresh trajectory musk Gwyn Shotwell and the entirety of SpaceX will persist until they Triumph yet they won't halt there as per their plans once Starship proves its metal it will undertake dozens if not hundreds of missions varying satellites and Commercial cargo into space before the system is certified safe for human OCC an who will occupy the hundreds of available seats once these initial flights validate its reliability hence while critics and Rivals lament over its setbacks musk has methodically rolled out terminated rolled out again and terminated half a dozen test vehicles to reach the current Pinnacle alongside his SpaceX team this encapsulates the Brilliance of musk and spacex's strategy they've established their inaugural customer base through starlink internet satellites hoping to deploy thousands of board the Starship these diminutive yet Revenue generating robotic Sky connections will serve as the financial backbone funding spacex's development Endeavors and ensuring safety certification their own Innovative products will finance the enhancement of their technology Paving the way for more cost-effective solutions musk aims to initiate their transport system by assuming Financial risks transitioning gradually to external customers seeking missions with reduced risks eventually this technique will substantially minimize dangers making it feasible for the first bold human explorers to embark on voyages to the moon and eventually Mars musk claims that a star shift flight will eventually cost only a few million though some Engineers are skeptical even if it's tenfold at $20 million per launch it remains considerably cheaper than the SLS Starship is set to undertake numerous flights annually transporting Expendable mobile systems commercial cargo and even NASA payloads failures will occur technologies will evolve yet the teams will refine their skills all before the first human payload is prepared for launch a Victor Rises by learning from their mistakes dusting themselves off and Diving back into The Fray this is the blueprint for shaping our future here's to Vulcan success this Christmas well folks that's about it for today's episode thank you so much for tuning in and if you want to support our Channel even further you can hop on over to our patreon through the link in the description below sign up today and become a patron to gain access to exclusive content sounds exciting right in any case we still appreciate your generosity and your passion for space exploration as always this is Kevin from great SpaceX wishing you a happy holiday and until next time keep looking up