ULA History (2007-2012) - AIAA Info

ULA Overview for the
2012 Orange County
AIAA Aerospace Science and
Technology (ASAT) Conference
William Harding
Director, Program Management
United Launch Alliance (ULA)
May, 19, 2012
Copyright © 2011 United Launch Alliance, LLC.
Unpublished Work. All Rights Reserved.

Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) -2
Launch Highlights
Cape Canaveral, Florida
4 May, 2012
AEHF-2 Launch

United Launch Alliance
Two World-Class Launch Systems Operating as a Single Provider to
the U.S. Government
More Than 100 Years of Combined Experience in Expendable Launch
Systems & Providing Assured Access to Space
– Pooled Experience of More Than 1,300 Launches
– Legacy Reaching Back to the 1950s
Three Families of Launch Vehicles – Atlas V, Delta II & Delta IV
Launch Customers Include the Department of Defense, NASA, the
National Reconnaissance Office, U.S. Air Force & Other Organizations
5%
50% 50%
90%
United Launch
Services, LLC
5%

Vandenberg Air Force
Base (VAFB), CA
324 Employees
Atlas V – SLC-3
Delta II – SLC-2
Delta IV – SLC-6
Other
Supplier Site 12 Employees
Virtual 21 Employees
Washington, DC 3 Employees
Locations
Denver, CO
1,668 Employees
ULA Headquarters
Program Management, Engineering &
Mission Support
Pueblo, CO
5 Employees
Delta II Storage
6 Sites
3,634 Employees
Data as of April 5, 2012
Decatur, AL
811 Employees
Delta II & IV
Fabrication,
Assembly & Test
Atlas Booster Tank
Fabrication &
Final Assembly
Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station
(CCAFS), FL
627Employees
Atlas V – SLC-41
Harlingen, TX
Delta II – SLC-17A/B
163 Employees
Delta IV – SLC-37
Atlas V & GX Mechanical Structures
Payload Fairing Fabrication & Assembly
Adapter Fabrication & Assembly

1996
1997
1998
2000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Dec
Phase II Contracts Awarded LMC/TBC
USG Decision to Keep Two Contractors
Boeing Acquires McDonnell Douglas
(Delta Rocket)
Buy I Awarded 28 Missions
Reduced Annual Launch Rate
Costs Exceed Nunn-McCurdy Limit
Buy III Announced; transition from
commercial to government program
ULA Joint Venture (12/1)
EELV History
A Precursor to ULA
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)
–USAF Stated Objective: Lower Cost of
Launching Medium to Heavy USG Payloads
• Increase Launch Systems Capability
• Leverage Common Components &
Infrastructure
Atlas V first flight: Aug 02
Delta IV first flight: Nov 02
EELV first flight: Mar 03
Projected Commercial Market Never Materialized
NSS Spacecraft Delivery Delayed (2003-2008)
RAND Space Launch Report 2006: "The EELV development programs are true
successes and are critical to national security. The Air Force must rigorously
protect this capability with resources adequate to sustain these programs."

USG Value Proposition for
Formation of ULA
ULA Was Formed to Address the Change in EELV Business Forecast
– Commercial Market Growth Did Not Materialize
– Significant Delays (5/yr Average) of NSS Payloads
Focus Was to Provide Two EELV Products Supporting Assured Access
for National Security
– Atlas V Product Line
– Delta IV Product Line
Joint Venture Solution Was Selected to Enhance Mission Success
Reliability & Reduce Costs
– One Integrated Team (Personnel Reduction)
– Infrastructure Consolidation (Factory Area Reduced)
– Corporate Infrastructure Sized for LV Business Only (Overhead)
– Common (Best of Best) Processes
Nation Could Not Afford the Infrastructure for Two Companies

LMC Boeing
Atlas Delta
Infrastructure
ULA History (2007-2012)
Forming Two Companies into One
Atlas ELV Delta
ELV
12/1/2006 2007-1Q08
2Q08-4Q08 2009 2010-2011
Day 1
Phase 1: Immediate
Consolidation
Opportunities
& Planning
Establish ULA
Infrastructure
Phase 2:
Early Process &
Organizational
Consolidation
Separation
Atlas Delta
Phase 3:
Major Moves &
Post-Separation
Consolidation
Single
Program
1.ULA Developed a Deliberate Multi-Year Consolidation Approach &
Delivered on Promises While Maintaining 100% Mission Success
ELV
Atlas Delta
New
Opportunities
Phase 4:
Final Facility/
Continuous
Improvement

Production Consolidation
Objectives:
–Improved Facilities
Utilization
–Implemented Common,
More Robust Processes
–Increased Operational
Efficiencies That Result in
Overall Savings
Reduced Five Production
Facilities to Two
–2.6M ft 2 Reduced to 1.9M
ft 2
Prod Ops Consolidation
Huntington
Beach, CA
Denver, CO
Decatur,
AL
San Diego, CA Harlingen, TX
ULA, Decatur, AL

Brain Surgery?
Brain Surgeon

ULA Family of Launch Vehicles

Aft Transition
Skirt/Heat Shield
Parts of a ULA Rocket
Atlas 551
5-meter Short Payload
Fairing (68 ft)
Centaur Interstage
Adapter (12.5 ft Dia)
Centaur Conical
Interstage Adapter
CCB Cylindrical
Interstage Adapter
Solid Rocket
Boosters
Centaur
Aft Stub
Adapter
RD-180 Engine Common Core
Booster TM (CCB)
Centaur
Upper
Single Stage
RL10 Engine
5-Meter
Payload Fairing
Boattail
Centaur Forward
Load Reactor
Payload
Adapter (PLA)

Typical Launch Profile: Atlas V

Solid Rocket Boosters
RS-68 Engine
1 st Stage (Booster)
Parts of a ULA Rocket
Delta IV (5,4)
RL10B Engine
Payload Fairing
2 nd Stage (Upper Stage)
Spacecraft
Payload Adapter

Typical Launch Profile: Delta IV (HLV)

Geosynchronous
Earth Orbit (GEO)
Maintains the Same
Position Relative to a
Single Point on Earth
ULA Orbit Insertion Types
GEO Transfer Orbit
(GTO)
An Intermediate
Orbit Used to Reach
GEO
Low-Earth Orbit
(LEO)
For Remote Sensing
& Communication
Networks
High-Energy Earth
Escape (C3)
Hyperbolic Trajectory
for Interplanetary
Missions

Launch Azimuths & Orbit
Inclinations
Polar LEO (Earth Observing) GEO, GTO, LEO, Earth Escape (C3)

Launch Sites

Launch Site Processing: Atlas

Launch Site Processing: Delta IV

NROL-21 - 12/14/06 - Delta II
Themis - 2/17/07 - Delta II
STP-1 - 3/8/07 - Atlas V
Cosmo-1 - 6/7/07 - Delta II
NROL-30 - 6/15/07 - Atlas V
Phoenix - 8/4/07 - Delta II
Worldview-1 - 9/18/07 - Delta II
Dawn - 9/27/07 - Delta II
WGS-1 - 10/10/07 - Atlas V
GPS IIR-17 - 10/17/07 - Delta II
DSP-23 - 11/10/07 - Delta IV
COSMO-2 - 12/8/07 - Delta II
NROL-24 - 12/10/07 - Atlas V
GPS IIR-18 - 12/20/07 - Delta II
NROL-28 - 3/13/08 - Atlas V
GPS IIR-19 - 3/15/08 - Delta II
ICO G-1 - 4/14/08 - Atlas V
GLAST - 6/11/08 - Delta II
OSTM - 6/20/08 - Delta II
GeoEye - 9/6/08 - Delta II
COSMO-3 – 10/24/08 – Delta II
NROL-26 - 1/17/09 - Delta IV
NOAA-N' - 2/6/09 - Delta II
Kepler - 3/6/09 - Delta II
GPS IIR-20 – 3/24/09 – Delta II
WGS-2 – 4/3/09 – Atlas V
STSS ATRR - 5/5/09 – Delta II
LRO/LCROSS – 6/18/09 – Atlas V
GOES O – 6/27/09 – Delta IV
60 Launches in 65 Months
GPS IIR-21 – 8/17/09 – Delta II
PAN - 9/8/09 – Atlas V
STSS Demo – 9/25/09 – Delta II
WorldView-2 – 10/8/09 – Delta II
DMSP-18 – 10/18/09 – Atlas V
Intelsat-14 – 11/23/09 – Atlas V
WGS-3 -12/5/09 – Delta IV
WISE – 12/14/09 – Delta II
SDO – 2/11/10 – Atlas V
GOES-P – 3/4/10 – Delta IV
OTV-1 – 4/22/10 – Atlas V
GPS IIF-1 – 5/27/10 – Delta IV
AEHF-1 -8/14/10 – Atlas V
NROL-41 – 9/20/10 – Atlas V
COSMO-4 – 11/5/10 – Delta II
NROL-32 – 11/21/10 – Delta IV
NROL-49 – 1/20/11 – Delta IV
OTV-2 – 3/5/11 – Atlas V
NROL-27 – 3/11/11 – Delta IV
NROL-34 – 4/14/11 – Atlas V
SBIRS GEO-1 – 5/7/11 – Atlas V
Aquarius – 6/10/11 – Delta II
GPS IIF-02 – 7/16/11 – Delta IV
Juno – 8/5/11 – Atlas V
GRAIL – 9/10/11 – Delta II
NPP – 10/28/11 – Delta II
MSL – 11/26/11 – Atlas V
WGS-4 – 1/19/12 – Delta IV
MUOS-1 – 2/24/12 – Atlas V
NROL-25 – 4/2/12 – Delta IV
AEHF-2 – 5/4/12 - Atlas V
National Security : 34 NASA/Civil : 17 Commercial : 9
Most Recent
Launches
Atlas V
MUOS-1
2/24/12
Delta IV
NROL-25
4/2/12
Atlas V
AEHF-2
5/4/12

NROL-25 Launch
VAFB / SLC-6
04.03.12
EELV Program Has Redefined the
Way to Space—System Flexibility
NROL-15 LVOS
CCAFS / SLC-37
04.04.12
AEHF-2 PLA Mate
Astrotech
04.05.12
NROL-38 LV Mariner Offload
CCAFS / Port Canaveral
04.06.12
Launch Rate Finally Meeting the Demands Expected in the late 90s

Pluto New Horizons
EELV Program Has Redefined the Way to
Space—Demonstrated Capability
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/
LCROSS
National Defense Missions
Wideband Global
SatCom (WGS)
Mars Science Laboratory
Orbital Test Vehicles
(OTV)
Advanced Extremely High
Frequency-1 (AEHF-1)
GOES O
Launch is Means to an End—That is Why Cost-Effective Reliability is Key
Images courtesy of NASA and USAF

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