Overview
- Investigators are focusing on a Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL booster after observers saw an irregular plume on the Feb. 12 USSF-87 launch, which still placed payloads in geosynchronous orbit.
- Space Systems Command says the review could take many months, and ULA confirms it will not fly Vulcan again until data are analyzed, spent motors inspected and corrective actions implemented.
- The standdown applies to national security missions and leaves the Space Force dependent on SpaceX until Vulcan returns to service.
- Launch plans for GPS III SV-10 and the first Next-Generation OPIR satellite are uncertain as officials evaluate options, with no decision yet to reassign payloads to other rockets.
- Reporters note the anomaly resembled a 2024 strap-on booster issue later traced to a manufacturing defect, though officials have not confirmed any connection.