Rick Ambrose: Lockheed-Boeing Team Seeks ‘Prudent’ Approach to Vulcan Rocket Development

Rick Ambrose

Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin‘s space systems segment, has said Lockheed and Boeing are committed to fund the development of their 50-50 joint venture’s Vulcan rocket, Space News reported Thursday.

Mike Gruss writes Ambrose told a press briefing at the Satellite 2016 conference in Maryland that uncertainty on how to move away from the Russia-built RD-180 engine has caused United Launch Alliance’s parent firms to adopt a cautious approach to investment in the new rocket.

“We have to be prudent, disciplined stewards of any kind of investment,” Ambrose said.

“Vulcan would be like any other investment decision.”

ULA has allocated $134 million to fund the development of the Vulcan program and the U.S. Air Force has agreed to invest up to $201 million through a public-private partnership, Gruss reports.

The service branch’s investment will fund the integration of ULA’s rocket design with the Blue Origin-made BE-4 engine.