To rival SpaceX’s Starship, ULA eyes Vulcan rocket upgrade

FILE PHOTO: Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket is launched for the second time on a certification test flight from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

ORLANDO (Reuters) - Boeing and Lockheed Martin's joint rocket venture, United Launch Alliance (ULA), plans to upgrade a version of its Vulcan rocket to challenge SpaceX's Starship in the low Earth orbit satellite launch market, the company's CEO said.

ULA wants to develop a Vulcan model tailored to the increasingly lucrative low Earth orbit (LEO) market, mainly due to SpaceX launching thousands of satellites there for its Starlink Internet service.