{"id":193338,"date":"2026-07-14T08:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T14:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193338"},"modified":"2026-07-14T08:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T14:11:18","slug":"sun-sets-on-vulcan-centaur-as-nasa-moves-sunrise-to-spacex-falcon-heavy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193338","title":{"rendered":"Sun sets on Vulcan Centaur as NASA moves SunRISE to SpaceX Falcon Heavy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"d11159dd-82a3-4c53-901c-d41dec75505c\">\n<p class=\"kicker \" style=\"\">SCIENCE<\/p>\n<p class=\"subtitle \" style=\"\">Solar observatory awaits a new launch date after its original ride hit booster trouble<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-element-guid=\"4c9dc5d9-c886-4348-bf4a-01d0dc71377d\">\n<p>    NASA has performed a rocket switcheroo and will launch its SunRISE mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy instead of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur on which it was originally booked to fly.<\/p>\n<p>The mission is flying as a rideshare sponsored by the United States Space Force&#8217;s Space Systems Command, which might go some way to explaining the decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/blogs\/sunrise\/2026\/07\/13\/nasas-sunrise-mission-changes-launch-vehicle-to-spacex-falcon-heavy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">change the launch vehicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In February, the fourth Vulcan Centaur flight experienced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/offbeat\/2026\/02\/13\/vulcan-centaur-reaches-orbit-after-booster-anomaly\/5010850\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">booster anomaly<\/a> during a US Space Force launch. The payload made it to orbit, but a burn-through of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) nozzle made the trip more eventful than planned. <\/p>\n<p>Space Force <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingdefense.com\/2026\/02\/space-force-pauses-national-security-launches-on-vulcan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reportedly<\/a>\u00a0paused all national security launches on the Vulcan Centaur until the investigation was complete and appropriate corrective action taken.<\/p>\n<p>This left SunRISE in a pickle as it was due to launch on a Vulcan Centaur this summer, having completed its final <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/blogs\/sunrise\/2026\/01\/20\/nasas-sunrise-smallsats-ace-tests-moving-closer-to-launch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">prelaunch testing<\/a> at the beginning of 2026. NASA said it &#8220;will share updated launch timing in the near future,&#8221; although some time in 2027 seems a safe bet.<\/p>\n<p>There could be two Falcon Heavy launches in the remainder of 2026: one for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and another for Astrobotic&#8217;s Griffin Mission One. Several US Space Force launches are planned for 2027, and SunRISE is likely to hitch a ride on one of them. <\/p>\n<p>SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) consists of six small satellites operating as one giant radio telescope slightly above geosynchronous orbit. The satellites will fly approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers) apart, and deploy four radio antennas each, extending 10 feet (2.5 meters). Construction of the six spacecraft was completed in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>According to NASA, &#8220;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&#8217;s particle storms.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s assuming the vehicles ever make it off the ground. The Vulcan Centaur launch was expected in summer 2026, but the switch to Falcon Heavy suggests NASA and the Space Force are hedging against further delays to Vulcan&#8217;s return to national security launches. \u00ae<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/science\/2026\/07\/14\/sun-sets-on-vulcan-centaur-as-nasa-moves-sunrise-to-spacex-falcon-heavy\/5271170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCIENCE Solar observatory awaits a new launch date after its original ride hit booster trouble NASA has performed a rocket switcheroo and will launch its SunRISE mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy instead of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur on which it was originally booked to fly. The mission is flying as a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":193339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-193338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":196856,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=196856","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":0},"title":"NASA Watchdogs Warn Starship Faces Major Hurdles as SpaceX Pushes Toward Moon and Mars","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As Elon Musk accelerates development of SpaceX\u2019s Starship\u2014the world\u2019s largest and most powerful rocket\u2014new reports from NASA oversight officials are raising fresh questions about whether the vehicle will be ready to safely carry astronauts to the Moon on the agency\u2019s ambitious Artemis missions. The concerns come at a pivotal moment.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/space-x.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/space-x.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/space-x.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193775,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193775","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":1},"title":"Cosmic Rescue: NASA scrambles to save a falling space telescope","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"To save the telescope, standard engineering luxuries were bypassed. NASA gave Katalyst total design flexibility with only two core mandates: boost the telescope's orbit, and do not crash into or damage it. \"The risk of us losing Swift \u2014 if we hadn\u2019t done this \u2014 was 100 per cent,\" said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dt-next2F2026-07-162Fe8f7aqs82Fnasa.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dt-next2F2026-07-162Fe8f7aqs82Fnasa.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dt-next2F2026-07-162Fe8f7aqs82Fnasa.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dt-next2F2026-07-162Fe8f7aqs82Fnasa.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dt-next2F2026-07-162Fe8f7aqs82Fnasa.webp?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194207,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194207","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":2},"title":"&#8216;Turn station water into IV fluid&#8217;: Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon shares how ISS research could aid Mars missions and disaster relief","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon has shared details of a medical experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that aims to convert the station\u2019s drinking water into sterile intravenous (IV) fluid\u2014a technology that could support future Mars missions while also benefiting emergency healthcare and disaster relief operations on Earth. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Representational-image-2026-07-17T215637.248-2026-07-85d9577d54d203aa9d88326662b60a45.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Representational-image-2026-07-17T215637.248-2026-07-85d9577d54d203aa9d88326662b60a45.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Representational-image-2026-07-17T215637.248-2026-07-85d9577d54d203aa9d88326662b60a45.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Representational-image-2026-07-17T215637.248-2026-07-85d9577d54d203aa9d88326662b60a45.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Representational-image-2026-07-17T215637.248-2026-07-85d9577d54d203aa9d88326662b60a45.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":197684,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197684","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":3},"title":"NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Returns to Earth After Successful Space Mission &#8211; chshyd.in","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Returns to Earth After Successful Space Mission\u00a0\u00a0chshyd.inNASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Return from Space Station\u00a0\u00a0NASA (.gov)U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan after an 8-month stint on the ISS\u00a0\u00a0The HinduThe Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut has undocked from the ISS,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194851,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194851","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":4},"title":"Countdown stopped 11 minutes before launch, contact lost in flight, yet history was created by Skyroot&#8217;s Vikram-1","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Skyroot Aerospace has successfully sent India's first private rocket into space. But as easy as this mission appeared from outside, it was equally stressful for the engineers sitting inside. A technical problem occurred a few minutes before the launch and contact with the rocket was lost for some time during\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Top Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Top Stories","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=119"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Skyroot-Aerospace-CEO-Pawan-Kumar-Chandana-2026-07-412a0f1b8d313ecd309ab72e2e6284b1-1200x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Skyroot-Aerospace-CEO-Pawan-Kumar-Chandana-2026-07-412a0f1b8d313ecd309ab72e2e6284b1-1200x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Skyroot-Aerospace-CEO-Pawan-Kumar-Chandana-2026-07-412a0f1b8d313ecd309ab72e2e6284b1-1200x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Skyroot-Aerospace-CEO-Pawan-Kumar-Chandana-2026-07-412a0f1b8d313ecd309ab72e2e6284b1-1200x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Skyroot-Aerospace-CEO-Pawan-Kumar-Chandana-2026-07-412a0f1b8d313ecd309ab72e2e6284b1-1200x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":197352,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197352","url_meta":{"origin":193338,"position":5},"title":"U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan after an 8-month stint on the ISS","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Russian Soyuz MS-28 space capsule with NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev on board descends near Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday (July 26, 2026). | Photo Credit: AP A U.S.-Russian space crew landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday (July\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-Oim","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=193338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/193339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=193338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=193338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=193338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}