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The two U.S. companies that fly the country's national-security launches: comparing launch vehicles, published prices, cadence, reusability, launch records and the National Security Space Launch awards.
| Metric | SpaceX | ULA |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Public company (Nasdaq: SPCX) since its June 2026 IPO; Elon Musk holds about 82% of the voting power | Joint venture: Boeing 50%, Lockheed Martin 50% (Jun 2026) |
| Founded | 2002 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Starbase, Texas | Centennial, Colorado |
| Launch vehicles | Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy; Starship in flight testing | Vulcan Centaur; Atlas V (last six reserved for Boeing Starliner); Delta IV Heavy retired April 2024 |
| Launches in 2025 | 165 Falcon launches | 6 (5 Atlas V, 1 Vulcan) |
| Career launches (through 9 Oct 2026) | Falcon 9 Block 5: 636; Falcon Heavy: 14 | Atlas V: 110 (since 2002); Vulcan: 4 |
| Published launch price | Falcon 9: $74M (2026 list); Falcon Heavy: $97M (2022 list) | No published list price for Vulcan Centaur |
| Reusability | Yes: Falcon first stages had landed more than 570 times by 31 Mar 2026 | No: Vulcan and Atlas V are expendable; ULA says it is working on recovering the Vulcan engine section |
| Payload to LEO | 22,800 kg (Falcon 9); 63,800 kg (Falcon Heavy) | 27,200 kg (Vulcan, six solid boosters); 18,850 kg (Atlas V 551) |
| Payload to GTO | 8,300 kg (Falcon 9); 26,700 kg (Falcon Heavy) | 14,500 kg (Vulcan, six solid boosters); 8,900 kg (Atlas V 551) |
| NSSL Phase 2 (2020 award) | The remainder, about 40% of missions | About 60% of missions |
| NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 (April 2025 award) | 28 missions expected (about 60%) | 19 missions expected (about 40%) |
| National-security certification | Falcon 9 certified May 2015 | Only certified provider until 2015; Vulcan certified March 2025, not flown since a booster anomaly on 12 Feb 2026 |
| Launch record (through 9 Oct 2026) | Falcon 9 Block 5: 635 of 636 successful | Atlas V: 110 launches, 0 failures, 1 partial failure (2007); Vulcan: 4 launches, all reached orbit, two with booster anomalies |
| Main engines | Merlin (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy) and Raptor (Starship), built by SpaceX | Vulcan: two BE-4 (Blue Origin) and two RL10C; Atlas V: Russian-built RD-180 |
SpaceX's edge is reuse and volume. By 31 March 2026 Falcon first stages had landed more than 570 times and more than 540 launches had flown on a flight-proven Falcon rocket, according to its IPO prospectus, and SpaceX flew 165 Falcon launches in 2025 against ULA's 6. The Air Force certified Falcon 9 for national-security missions in May 2015, ending ULA's position as the only certified provider. In the 2020 Phase 2 award ULA was slated to fly about 60 percent of missions and SpaceX the rest; in the April 2025 Phase 3 Lane 2 award the split reversed, with SpaceX expected to fly 28 missions, ULA 19 and Blue Origin 7. SpaceX says it launched 11 of the 12 National Security Space Launch medium and heavy missions flown in 2025.
Atlas V is still flying: its 110th launch, on 2 July 2026, carried Amazon Leo satellites, and the six Atlas Vs left are all contracted to Boeing for Starliner. Delta IV Heavy flew for the last time in April 2024. Vulcan Centaur, which first flew in January 2024 carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander, was certified for national-security missions in March 2025, but a solid rocket booster anomaly on 12 February 2026 put Vulcan launches on hold, and it had not flown again as of 11 October 2026. Vulcan is expendable, and its first stage runs on two BE-4 engines built by Blue Origin. ULA remains a 50/50 joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin; Lockheed Martin said in July 2026 that both parents expect to provide ULA additional financial support. Mark Peller became ULA's chief executive in August 2026.
Track both companies on SpaceNexus
There is no like-for-like answer, because ULA publishes no list price for Vulcan Centaur. SpaceX lists a 2026 Falcon 9 launch at $74 million and set Falcon Heavy at $97 million in 2022.
SpaceX, by a wide margin: 165 Falcon launches in 2025 against 6 for ULA (five Atlas V, one Vulcan). Reuse is a large part of the gap: Falcon first stages had landed more than 570 times by 31 March 2026, while Vulcan and Atlas V are expendable.
Yes, though Vulcan has not flown since a solid rocket booster anomaly on 12 February 2026 put its launches on hold. ULA was the only certified National Security Space Launch provider until the Air Force certified Falcon 9 in May 2015. In the Phase 3 Lane 2 award of April 2025, ULA is expected to fly 19 missions, SpaceX 28 and Blue Origin 7.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin, 50 percent each; Lockheed Martin’s filing for the quarter ended 28 June 2026 confirms the split. ULA was formed in 2006, and Mark Peller became its chief executive in August 2026. Vulcan’s first stage uses two BE-4 engines built by Blue Origin.
Falcon 9 Block 5 had 635 successes in 636 launches through 9 Oct 2026. Atlas V, which is still flying, has 110 launches with no outright failure and one 2007 flight logged as a partial failure. Vulcan has 4 launches, all of which reached orbit, two of them with solid rocket booster anomalies.