Six U.S. Space Force missions reassigned from United Launch Alliance to SpaceX have already launched, according to comments disclosed on October 21, 2026. Inside Defense reported the total the following day, citing Brigadier General Eric Zarybnisky as Vulcan’s solid-rocket-motor investigation continued.
The transfers began with a GPS III mission in April. Zarybnisky described swaps between existing launch assignments, rather than a single new purchase of six launches. The reported total is a cumulative account of completed missions, not an announcement that six additional spacecraft had just been moved to SpaceX.
The investigation follows Vulcan’s February 12 USSF-87 flight. ULA said one of the rocket’s four solid motors experienced a significant performance anomaly early in flight. Despite that event, the Vulcan booster and Centaur upper stage delivered the spacecraft directly to geosynchronous orbit. ULA’s announcement distinguished the successful payload delivery from the motor behavior requiring investigation.
That distinction explains why a launch can achieve its mission and still interrupt subsequent flights. Payload delivery establishes the outcome of that particular flight. A motor anomaly concerns the reliability of hardware that will be used again, so investigators examine its cause and the corrective actions required before further national security missions.
USSF-87 launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. ULA said the government and contractor team was reviewing technical data and imagery and organizing debris recovery. The Space Force subsequently paused national security use of Vulcan as the investigation proceeded.
The assignments belong to the National Security Space Launch framework, through which the government obtains launch services for defense and intelligence spacecraft. New Space Economy’s explanation of the program describes the importance of qualified providers able to meet demanding mission and orbit requirements. Having another qualified launch provider gives the government a way to change assignments when one vehicle is unavailable.
The six completed transfers demonstrate the specific response already taken: missions originally assigned to ULA flew with SpaceX. The October disclosure did not establish a new Vulcan return-to-flight date or announce six new launch contracts.
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