Interview with ULA’s Tory Bruno

The president and CEO of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) discusses the company’s upcoming first launch of the new Vulcan rocket, the impact of the Space Force and the future of space transportation. Tory Bruno touched on a number of topics in this wide-ranging interview with Aviation Week editors Jen DiMascio and Irene Klotz. Here is a guide to the discussion: 1:05 ULA Vulcan Centaur overview 2:05 Vulcan first launch 2:22 Blue Origin BE-4 engine is the Vulcan’s pacing item 2:52 Astrobotic Peregrine first commercial lunar lander 4:00 Peregrine mission will be delayed to 2022 5:18 BE-4 challenges 6:20 Vulcan tanking test and Pathfinder vehicle 7:24 Sierra Space mission 9:23 Atlas to continue National Security Space Phase 2 missions 12:05 Reaction to Government Accountability Office report 13:03 National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Technologies 17:13 Flying unpredictable orbits 19:28 How the Space Force has changed ULA operations 23:04 Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage reusability 25:42 Commercial applications for new upper stage capabilities 28:00 The logistics of getting and sustaining humans on the moon 29:16 How to get 20%-30% more payload to the moon 31:40 Will ULA remain a launch company? 32:36 Corporate responsibility in space 39:06 Launching into congested areas of space 41:58 Integrated air and space traffic management 43:35 Is there a limit to space traffic? 49:04 Where ULA puts its space junk 51:40 What are ULA’s new big problems?