The CEO of SpaceX competitor United Launch Alliance has resigned

Tory Bruno, CEO of SpaceX rival United Launch Alliance, has resigned after 12 years in the role to “look for another opportunity.” According to the company.

“We are grateful for Tory’s service to ULA and the country, and thank him for his leadership,” United Launch Alliance (ULA) Presidents Robert Lightfoot and Kay Sears said in a statement.

Bruno’s resignation comes at a time when new private spaceflight companies are increasingly leading the launch market. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has dramatically increased its launch pace in recent years, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin appears to be a more serious player yet. Mostly successful opening missions For the New Glenn heavy missile.

ULA, now 20 years old, was created by combining the space launch businesses of defense contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin. ULA was the main supplier to both NASA and the Department of Defense until SpaceX came along and started winning contracts.

One of Bruno’s biggest projects during his time at ULA was overseeing the development of the joint venture’s next-generation rocket, Vulcan. This project had two main goals: to help ULA keep pace with SpaceX, and to reduce the US government’s reliance on Russian rockets to reach space.

Vulcan has leveraged a number of parts from previous ULA rocket programs such as Atlas and Delta in an effort to cut costs, though it has bet on Blue Origin to provide the engines. The project suffered numerous delays beforehand It will finally launch for the first time in 2024 – A full decade after the start of development.

During the same time frame, SpaceX became the world’s most dominant provider of space launch services, winning government contracts and undertaking numerous private missions.

ULA’s Vulcan rocket has been found Customers at Amazon (for its Leo Internet satellites) and Astrobotic space startup. And the company is We’re looking to make rockets more reusableOr even launch upgraded versions that could theoretically carry heavier payloads into space.

“It has been a great honor to lead ULA through its transformation and bring Vulcan into service. My work here is now complete and I will cheer on ULA,” Bruno He said in another On X.

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