WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is scheduled to launch its first national security mission, USSF-106, on Aug. 12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The classified mission will mark the vehicle’s debut for the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program and will include a high-profile experimental payload — Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3).

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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...