NASA’s decision to land two astronauts aboard a SpaceX capsule, and not the Starliner craft they used to go to orbit, is considered a blow to Boeing. Despite all the controversy surrounding NASA’s new spacecraft, the Alabama built rocket that carried the Starliner to space did that job. United Launch Alliance’s Decatur factory built the Atlas-V used for the launch of Starliner. ULA is moving onto a newer and less expensive replacement for the Atlas and is reportedly in talks regarding a possible buy-out by Sierra Space.
In an exclusive report by Reuters, Lockheed Martin is considering selling United Launch Alliance to the Sierra Space company. The news website quotes sources that say the deal might put the value of ULA at up to $3 billion dollars. ULA is launching the last of its Atlas-V’s and moving onto a new model of booster called Vulcan. Sierra Space is under contract with NASA to resupply the International Space Station with its new mini shuttle called “Dream Chaser.” That small, winged, spacecraft is designed to fly on Vulcan rockets.
Reuters' report quotes sources that says ULA’s possible acquisition by Sierra Space would enable the builder of the Dream Chaser shuttle to handle its launches ”in-house,” rather than be a customer of ULA, buying rockets one at a time for hundreds of millions of dollars each. Boeing could also see some benefit from the deal while it wrestles with ongoing problems with its Starliner spacecraft. The aerospace contractor teamed up with Lockheed Martin to create United Launch Alliance back in 2006. The deal combined the rocket building efforts of both aerospace giants.
In a separate report, the aerospace news website SpaceNews says United Launch Alliance could benefit from a surge in business from Space Force. This branch of the U.S. Military is reportedly increasing its launch contracts with ULA and SpaceX by close to $2 billion dollars. SpaceNews says ULA’s part of that new deal could carry a value of $4.5 billion, with just over 50% of the launches for Space Force and SpaceX Falcon rockets doing the remainder.
Last month, the website “Made in Alabama” reported on the completion of an expansion of ULA’s Decatur rocket factory. The facility went from just under two million square feet to just under two and a half million. ULA says that makes the Alabama plant the largest in the world. Back in 2022, the Switzerland based aerospace contractor Beyond Gravity, said it would increase its presence in Alabama, building protective fairings per year to encase the payloads on top of ULA’s Vulcan rockets. Back in May, the website The Defense Post reported how ULA is also in talks to build a second cargo ship able to carry Vulcan rockets to launch pads on the east coast and west coast.
