The first National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission, the United States Space Force (USSF)-106, is set for lift aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket today (12 August 2025).
The launch is scheduled at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station from Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida.
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A Vulcan Centaur VC4S configuration, equipped with four solid rocket boosters, will propel the USSF-106 payload directly into geosynchronous orbit under the direction of the USSF’s Space Systems Command.
The Vulcan Centaur vehicles, which have now replaced the Atlas V and Delta IV systems, are certified under the NSSL programme after two successful certification flights.
This transition also concludes the US’ dependence on Russian engines, a mandate set forth by Congress.
The move aligns with the National Security Strategy to foster domestic investment and enhances the USSF’s space access capabilities through commercial innovation.
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By GlobalDataUSSF-106 mission director colonel Jim Horne said: “We certified the Vulcan Centaur Launch System in March 2025, and now we’re on the pad and ready to launch Vulcan. That’s progress, that’s teamwork, and there are a lot more coming after this one. National Security Space Launch provides critical space capabilities to us and our allies through all of our launch service providers and we now have the launch vehicle diversity and advanced systems to take us into the future.”
The primary payload for USSF-106 is the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), an experimental project from the Air Force Vanguard programme, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and constructed by L3Harris Technologies.
NTS-3 is designed to test advanced positioning, navigation, and timing technologies in near-geosynchronous orbit to establish a more resilient PNT architecture.
The satellite features reprogrammable signals, an electronically steerable antenna, and sophisticated timekeeping algorithms.
This experiment represents the first integrated navigation satellite experiment conducted by the US in almost half a century.
It follows its predecessors NTS-1 and NTS-2, which were instrumental in laying the groundwork for today’s GPS constellation.
The Assured Access to Space (AATS) team is tasked with executing the USSF’s critical function of ensuring space access. AATS is responsible for providing dependable launch services essential for national security, intelligence, and allied operations.
It also maintains launch and test infrastructure that supports warfighting capabilities in space across all conflict phases while fostering US leadership in economic, technological, and scientific domains.
The USSF Space Systems Command manages a $15.6bn annual budget dedicated to space acquisitions for the Department of Defense.
It collaborates with joint military forces, industry partners, government agencies, academia, and allied nations to develop and deliver capabilities that address emerging threats and safeguard America’s strategic interests in space.
In July 2025, the USSF and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office prepared to launch the eighth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-8) on 21 August 2025.
