Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
ULA has made a loud claim — they say their Vulcan Centaur is “America’s most advanced launch system.” For anyone following spaceflight, that’s a bold statement to make. SpaceX’s Starship is rewriting the rules of rocket reusability, Falcon 9 has landed and reflown boosters nearly 500 times, and other upcoming vehicles like New Glenn and Neutron are already promising big leaps forward. Yet ULA is putting Vulcan at the top of the list. The question is: is there real evidence behind that, or is this more about marketing? Before we go deeper, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more in-depth spaceflight analysis.
The Vulcan Centaur has been presented as ULA’s future flagship rocket, but its reputation so far is tied as much to repeated delays as to actual performance. When ULA called it the most advanced American rocket, the online reaction was quick and skeptical. One post contrasted Vulcan with SpaceX’s Starship, adding the sarcastic line, “Let’s just agree to disagree.” Elon Musk joined the conversation with nothing more than a laughing emoji — a clear sign he wasn’t taking the claim seriously.
SpaceX has a track record that is very hard to overlook. For more than a decade, the company has been perfecting the booster recovery and reuse, starting with Falcon 9’s first successful booster reflight in 2017. Since then, dozens of boosters have flown multiple missions, with some like booster Booster 1067 reaching 29 flights. The company even tackled the far tougher challenge of recovering a Falcon Heavy center core, which is heavier, has reinforced tanks, and includes additional structural supports, making it far more difficult to land safely. Remarkably, SpaceX managed to bring it back intact just minutes after launch, demonstrating their capability to handle complex, high-risk recoveries reliably.
ULA has made a loud claim — they say their Vulcan Centaur is “America’s most advanced launch system.” For anyone following spaceflight, that’s a bold statement to make. SpaceX’s Starship is rewriting the rules of rocket reusability, Falcon 9 has landed and reflown boosters nearly 500 times, and other upcoming vehicles like New Glenn and Neutron are already promising big leaps forward. Yet ULA is putting Vulcan at the top of the list. The question is: is there real evidence behind that, or is this more about marketing? Before we go deeper, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more in-depth spaceflight analysis.
The Vulcan Centaur has been presented as ULA’s future flagship rocket, but its reputation so far is tied as much to repeated delays as to actual performance. When ULA called it the most advanced American rocket, the online reaction was quick and skeptical. One post contrasted Vulcan with SpaceX’s Starship, adding the sarcastic line, “Let’s just agree to disagree.” Elon Musk joined the conversation with nothing more than a laughing emoji — a clear sign he wasn’t taking the claim seriously.
SpaceX has a track record that is very hard to overlook. For more than a decade, the company has been perfecting the booster recovery and reuse, starting with Falcon 9’s first successful booster reflight in 2017. Since then, dozens of boosters have flown multiple missions, with some like booster Booster 1067 reaching 29 flights. The company even tackled the far tougher challenge of recovering a Falcon Heavy center core, which is heavier, has reinforced tanks, and includes additional structural supports, making it far more difficult to land safely. Remarkably, SpaceX managed to bring it back intact just minutes after launch, demonstrating their capability to handle complex, high-risk recoveries reliably.
