ULA owners reportedly guarantee $1 billion in credit facilities during Vulcan grounding

Credit guarantees while Vulcan remains grounded

Ars Technica reports that Boeing and Lockheed Martin each agreed in May to guarantee $500 million of certain ULA credit facilities. The reported support follows a similar solid-rocket-booster nozzle failure on Vulcan’s fourth flight, which has kept the rocket grounded for more than six months. ULA is preparing to return Vulcan to flight, but its spokesperson said the anomaly investigation remains ongoing and did not confirm a launch date.

ULA opened 2026 forecasting 18 to 22 launches for the year; eight months later, it had launched five times, only once with Vulcan.

The reported Vulcan grounding and lower launch activity have coincided with owner-backed credit guarantees totaling $1 billion and a weaker financial outlook for ULA.

The reported guarantees tie Vulcan’s operational interruption to ULA’s financing at a time when military missions have been reassigned and the company’s launch cadence has fallen below its forecast. A possible sale of ULA remains speculation, not an announced transaction.