NASA has switched the launch vehicle for its SunRISE space weather mission from ULA’s Vulcan Centaur to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, citing booster issues with the former. Space Force rideshare.
NASA’s decision to replace the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy for the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission marks a pivotal shift in its approach to space weather monitoring. The move follows repeated anomalies with the Vulcan Centaur, including a solid rocket booster nozzle burn-through during its February USSF-87 mission, which prompted the U.S. Space Force to pause national security launches on the vehicle. SunRISE, a heliophysics project under NASA’s missions of opportunity
umbrella, was originally slated to launch on Vulcan but will now likely ride on a Falcon Heavy, potentially as part of a Space Systems Command (SSC) rideshare.
Why the Rocket Switch? Booster Anomalies and Strategic Adjustments
The Vulcan Centaur’s reliability concerns were the primary driver of NASA’s decision. During its fourth flight in February, a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) nozzle suffered a burn-through, though the USSF-87 payload still reached orbit. This incident, coupled with a prior anomaly in 2023, led the Space Force to suspend Vulcan launches for national security missions until the issue was resolved. NASA, which had completed final prelaunch testing for SunRISE in early 2026, now faces an uncertain timeline. NASA will share updated launch timing in the near future,
the agency stated, though a 2027 launch window is considered likely.
The shift also reflects broader strategic adjustments. The U.S. Space Force has already reallocated some missions from Vulcan to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, and SunRISE’s reassignment to Falcon Heavy suggests a similar pattern.
SunRISE’s Mission: A Radio Telescope in Orbit
Once launched, SunRISE will deploy six small satellites, each about the size of a mailbox, into an orbit about 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) above Earth. These satellites will fly in a giant 10-mile (16-km) “X” formation, using roughly 10-foot (2.5-meter) antenna booms to act as a single large radio telescope. The mission, led by scientists at the University of Michigan and managed out of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, aims to capture unprecedented data on solar radio bursts—faster-than-energetic-particle storms that can disrupt satellites and pose radiation risks to astronauts and polar travelers.
the six SmallSats will act as a single, giant radio telescope to capture in unprecedented detail data on the radio bursts associated with the Sun’s particle storms,
NASA stated. The data will help improve space weather prediction models, enabling better mitigation strategies for solar events. However, the mission won’t serve as an alert system by itself, relying instead on scientists using data collected by the spacecraft to improve prediction models for impending space weather.
Implications for Launch Schedules and SpaceX’s Role
The reassignment to Falcon Heavy could delay SunRISE’s launch beyond its original 2026 window. Sources suggest the mission is likely to hitch a ride on one of the Space Force’s 2027 launches. The agency has not yet specified which Falcon Heavy mission will carry the satellites, but the shift underscores SpaceX’s growing role in NASA’s infrastructure.
Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to expand its launch capabilities.
What’s Next for SunRISE and Space Weather Monitoring?
The SunRISE mission’s delay underscores the challenges of balancing technological innovation with operational reliability. While the Falcon Heavy offers a more stable platform, the switch highlights the need for redundancy in space weather monitoring. As solar activity intensifies, the data collected by SunRISE could prove vital for protecting orbital infrastructure and human spaceflight.
The agency’s ability to adapt to technical setbacks—whether through SpaceX or other partners—will shape the future of space weather research.
