As of February 22, 2025, the sale of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has not yet been finalized.
Reports from late 2024 indicate that Sierra Space, a private spaceflight company, emerged as a leading contender to acquire ULA. In August 2024, Reuters reported that Boeing and Lockheed Martin were in talks to sell ULA to Sierra Space, though no official confirmation of a completed deal has surfaced since then. The discussions were framed as a strategic move for Boeing under its new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, and a chance for ULA to expand beyond its traditional rocket-launch focus, potentially into areas like lunar habitats or maneuverable spacecraft—ideas previously constrained by its parent companies.
The sale process has been in motion for some time, with earlier speculation in 2023 and 2024 identifying other potential buyers, including Blue Origin, Textron, and Cerberus Capital Management. However, Sierra Space appears to have taken the lead, likely due to its growing ambitions in the commercial space sector and its interest in leveraging ULA’s established launch capabilities. Any deal would still require approval from regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure it doesn’t harm competition in the space industry, as well as potential review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States if foreign investors are involved.
ULA’s recent activities, such as the successful Vulcan Centaur launches in January and October 2024, may have influenced the timing and valuation of the sale. The Vulcan’s second test flight (Cert-2) in October was a key step toward certification for national security missions, which could make ULA more attractive to buyers like Sierra Space. However, no public announcement has confirmed the sale’s completion as of today, suggesting negotiations or regulatory reviews might still be underway. For the latest updates, the situation remains fluid, and an official resolution could emerge in the coming weeks or months.
