Jamie Groh, Craig Bailey Florida Today 1/22/2023
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station got a special delivery over the weekend in the form of a new rocket. The final pieces of flight-ready hardware of United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket were delivered by barge after a 2,000-mile voyage from the company's rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama.
Sunday, ULA teams offloaded the core booster section and transported it to a processing facility at the Cape. Alongside it was the Vulcan's Centaur V upper stage and a protective payload fairing half.
Other pieces for the inaugural launch, including the Northrop Grumann twin solid rocket boosters, were delivered to the Cape late last year.
Prior to the inaugural launch, according to ULA, there are still many inspections and tests left to get through. This includes multiple core booster and upper-stage tanking tests and a wet dress rehearsal which entails fully fueling the rocket and running through a mock countdown. Testing will culminate with a flight readiness firing test of Vulcan's main engines.
More:
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2023/01/22/united-launch-alliance-first-vulcan-rocket-arrives-at-cape-canaveral-space-force-station-florida/69819672007/
