CEO of SpaceX rival United Launch Alliance resigns

The CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), Tory Bruno, has resigned after 12 years in the role "to pursue another opportunity," according to the company.

"We are grateful for Tory's service to ULA and the country, and we thank him for his leadership," ULA chairs Robert Lightfoot and Kay Sears said in a statement.

Bruno's departure comes as newer private spaceflight companies continue to reshape the launch market. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has significantly increased its launch cadence in recent years. At the same time, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has emerged as a more serious competitor following the mostly successful inaugural missions of its New Glenn rocket.

Now 20 years old, ULA was formed through the merger of Boeing's and Lockheed Martin's space launch divisions. For years, ULA served as a primary launch provider for NASA and the Department of Defence, until SpaceX began winning an increasing share of government launch contracts.

One of Bruno's most significant initiatives at ULA was overseeing the development of the company's next-generation rocket, Vulcan. The program aimed to help ULA remain competitive with SpaceX while also reducing U.S. reliance on Russian-built rocket engines for access to space.

Vulcan incorporated components from earlier ULA rockets, including Atlas and Delta, in an effort to control costs, while relying on Blue Origin to supply its engines. The program faced repeated delays before achieving its first launch in 2024, roughly a decade after development began.

During that same period, SpaceX became the world's most dominant launch provider, securing major government contracts and flying a growing number of commercial missions.

ULA's Vulcan rocket has attracted customers such as Amazon, which plans to use the vehicle for its low-Earth-orbit internet satellites, and space startup Astrobotic. The company is also exploring ways to make Vulcan more reusable and considering upgraded versions capable of carrying heavier payloads.

"It has been a great privilege to lead ULA through its transformation and to bring Vulcan into service. My work here is now complete and I will be cheering ULA on," Bruno said in a post on X.

ULA has appointed its chief operating officer, John Elbon, as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.