With the launch of NASA’s Crew-12 now pushed to Friday, those on the Space Coast are still in for a treat as United Launch Alliance now has a clear range to launch its Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral.
A rare sight in the skies of the Space Coast, the Vulcan rocket will lift off on a National Security mission for the Space Force titled USSF-87. Launch is set for no earlier than 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb 12 from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
United Launch Alliance has a two-hour period if extra time is needed in the launch window. Currently, the weather forecast calls for 90% favorable conditions at the Cape during the launch window.
The reason NASA and SpaceX delayed the Crew-12 launch until Friday was due to unfavorable weather in the northeast rocket ascent corridor — which for a crewed mission must be clear in case of an abort. If weather hadn’t been an issue, Vulcan would have faced a delay as NASA and the crewed launch had priority on the range.
The Vulcan launch may be in the middle of the night, but that adds to the visibility for those watching from the Florida coastline. Following lift off, the rocket will travel eastward over the ocean, but those as far north as Jacksonville still may be able to catch view of this rocket as it sails off into the night.
Vulcan is powered by two BE-4 engines and four solid rocket engines. Those on the Space Coast can expect to see a dazzling show as the rocket bolts into the sky — each of those four solid engines puts out 459,600 pounds of thrust. This is on top of the already more than one-million pounds of thrust provided by the two BE-4 engines in the core stage.
Just more than a minute and a half into the flight, those four solid engines will detach from the rocket’s core stage. To those watching from the ground, it will appear as four little points of light falling away from the rocket.
USSF-87 Space Force mission launch from Cape Canaveral
United Launch Alliance is known for releasing mission artwork ahead of National Security launches. These missions typically feature an animal — and true to that, the choice for the USSF-87 was an owl.
The spacecraft launching will be serving as a kind of “neighborhood watch”. Similar to the owl, a nocturnal bird known for its sharp vision, the national security spacecraft will keep watch over geosynchronous orbit, which means it will orbit alongside Earth, staying over the same location.
The spacecraft is known as Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), and was built by Northrop Grumman. United Launch Alliance states the spacecraft will improve the Space Force’s ability to quickly identify, alert, analyze, and assign causes for disruptions affecting space systems already in geosynchronous orbit. This includes threats of satellite collisions.
This mission isn’t a first; USSF-87 is actually the fourth mission of this type of spacecraft. The first two GSSAP missions launched on the now retired United Launch Alliance Delta IV rockets in 2014 and 2016, with the company’s Atlas V launching the third in 2022.
USSF-87 will be the heaviest payload the Vulcan rocket has flown to date.
ULA Vulcan rocket specialty: National Security missions
Vulcan is United Launch Alliance’s planned rocket workhorse, set to replace both the Atlas V and the already retired Delta IV. What sets Vulcan apart from other rockets, according to ULA, is its powerful Centaur V upper-stage, which allows it to fly complex orbital missions. It will be this powerful upper-stage which is handy in the deployment of the USSF-87 “neighborhood watch” mission.
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket saw its first two flight back in January and October 2024, both of which set the rocket on the path to certification by the United States Space Force to fly national security missions.
Following that Space Force certification, the rocket flew its first National Security mission on its third flight, which launched on Aug. 12, 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
This Vulcan mission will be the first since the departure of former CEO Tory Bruno. Bruno, who led the Vulcan team through the first three flights, left in Dec. 2025 to lead Blue Origin’s new National Security program. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which utilizes the same BE-4 engines as Vulcan, is preparing to deliver national security missions in the future.
“It has been a great privilege to lead ULA through its transformation and to bring Vulcan into service. My work here is now complete and I will be cheering ULA on,” Bruno wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 22.
John Elbon is currently serving as interim CEO for United Launch Alliance.
The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live updates beginning 90 minutes ahead of liftoff at FloridaToday.com/Space.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: ULA plans Vulcan rocket launch early Thursday; Crew-12 targeting Friday
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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