WASHINGTON —  United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off Aug. 12 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying the U.S. Space Force’s USSF-106 mission. The launch marked Vulcan’s first flight for the National Security Space Launch program, a milestone that comes after years of development and certification delays.

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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...