Overview
- The Vulcan Centaur lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:22 a.m. ET on Feb. 12, completing a near-10-hour, direct-to-geosynchronous-orbit mission carrying GSSAP spacecraft and a propulsive ESPA/ESPAStar stack.
- About 20 to 30 seconds after liftoff, one of four Northrop Grumman GEM‑63XL boosters showed a burn‑through and abnormal plume that ULA later called a significant performance anomaly, while the rocket maintained a nominal trajectory and jettisoned the SRBs as planned.
- ULA reported the booster, Centaur upper stage and payloads performed as intended, with delivery to the planned geosynchronous orbits confirmed by company and Space Force statements.
- An integrated government–industry team is analyzing flight data and imagery, forming a debris recovery effort, and preparing a thorough investigation to identify root cause and define corrective actions.
- This was Vulcan’s fourth flight and second National Security Space Launch mission; the review’s potential impact on ULA’s 2026 cadence is not yet known, with a GPS III mission next on the manifest.