# Vulcan's moment arrives as SpaceX stumbles

> United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket nears its first commercial launch while SpaceX scrubs a Falcon 9 mission, reshaping the competitive landscape.
- Title: Vulcan's moment arrives as SpaceX stumbles · Ars Technica
- Summary: United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket nears its first commercial launch while SpaceX scrubs a Falcon 9 mission, reshaping the competitive landscape. Vulcan…
- Keywords: united launch alliance, vulcan rocket, spacex, falcon 9, amazon leo, launch cadence, commercial spaceflight, technology, science, Vulcan's, moment, arrives
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/rocket-report-a-rare-falcon-9-scrub-is-it-just-about-vulcans-time-to-shine
- Published: 2026-10-09T11:00:57+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: united launch alliance, vulcan rocket, spacex, falcon 9, amazon leo, launch cadence, commercial spaceflight, technology, science
## Vulcan poised for breakthrough year
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket has a no-earlier-than launch date of October twenty-ninth for its return to flight mission carrying an Amazon Leo satellite. A second Amazon Leo mission is also planned for this year.
## South Korea's Nuri succeeds again
South Korea successfully deployed five satellites for its first domestically launched microsatellite constellation during the fifth flight of its Nuri rocket on Wednesday, according to Yonhap News Agency.
## Nuri's success rate climbs to eighty percent
The mission was Nuri's fourth consecutive success after its debut flight failed in twenty twenty-one. Nine of the rocket's ten CubeSat secondary payloads were released as planned.
## South Korea shifts toward commercial space
Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon pledged continued government support for additional launches led by the private sector as South Korea seeks to shift from a government-led space development model toward a more commercially driven industry.
## HyImpulse delays European test flight
German launch startup HyImpulse has pushed the second flight of its SR seventy-five suborbital rocket into spring twenty twenty-seven, European Spaceflight reports.
## First European commercial payload flight
The flight from SaxaVord will be HyImpulse's second SR seventy-five mission and its first to carry commercial payloads.
## Rocket Factory Augsburg appoints new CEO
The Supervisory Board of Rocket Factory Augsburg has appointed Alexander Dahm as CEO, succeeding Indulis Kalnins. Dahm has thirty years of aerospace experience, including involvement with the Ariane five program.
## RFA pursuing maiden orbital flight
Dahm said he is impressed by the grit and innovative strength of European launch vehicle development.

> I am impressed by the grit, innovative strength, and passion with which a new generation of European launch vehicles is being developed here.
## SpaceX scrubs rare Falcon nine launch
A Falcon nine launch planned for early Monday morning was scrubbed in the final minute of the count as the rocket was shifting into its automated startup sequence, Spaceflight Now reports.
## Falcon nine targets October tenth launch
The company targeted Tuesday, October sixth, for its next launch attempt but waved off that opportunity as well. It is now aiming for no earlier than Saturday, October tenth for the Space Development Agency mission.
## Booster B one one zero three on sixth flight
The mission will use Falcon nine first stage booster B one one zero three. This will be its sixth flight following the launches of the SDA's T one T L hyphen E, N R O…
## Amazon Leo stacks two Vulcan launches
Amazon Leo VP Rajeev Badyal said the company is currently working on back-to-back launches on Vulcan this year.

> I can say we're weeks away from launching on Vulcan. Things are on track.
## Amazon built dual vehicle integration
Badyal said the infrastructure Amazon put and built with United Launch Alliance now allows the company to process two rockets simultaneously.

> The infrastructure that we put and built with ULA now allows us to process two rockets simultaneously.
## Blue Origin plans three more launch pads
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said the company will construct three more launch pads after the rebuild of L C hyphen thirty-six A to accommodate New Glenn.

> We're building three more pads. So we're building, we'll have a total of four pads that we're under construction right now.
## Bezos pursues ambitious launch cadence
Bezos said Blue Origin's goal is to fly every day, then every hour, then every minute.

> Our goal is to fly every day. And then once we're flying every day, we want to fly every hour.
## Key takeaway

Vulcan is weeks from its first commercial launch for Amazon while SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 mission, signalling a shift in launch market dynamics.