![](https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231208_Vulcan_WDR.jpeg)
The debut of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket may slip from late December into early January, in response to the corporate’s president and CEO, Tory Bruno. In a social media post on Sunday, Bruno said the planned Dec. 24 launch date is “likely out.”
The statement comes a pair days after the rocket conducted a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), where the vehicle was fully fueled and went the countdown was to proceed to the ultimate seconds before cutting off. But Bruno said a “couple of routine ground issues got here up near the tip” of the test.
Ground teams were targeting a T-0 of 4:30 p.m. EST on Friday. Based on observations of venting through the operation it appeared the countdown reached its final 4 minutes before an abort occurred. The Vulcan vehicle left the launch pad and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility constructing at launch complex 41 Saturday afternoon.
“I’d like a full WDR before our first flight, so [Christmas] Eve is probably going out,” Bruno said in his post on X. He added that they’re working on schedules but Spaceflight Now understands one other test has been scheduled for as soon as Tuesday.
#VulcanRocket WDR update: Vehicle performed well. Ground system had a few (routine) issues, (being corrected). Ran the timeline long so we didn’t quite finish. I’d like a FULL WDR before our first flight, so XMAS eve is probably going out. Next Peregrine window is 8 Jan.
— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) December 10, 2023
The first payload onboard is Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, which can journey to the Moon. If the launch is capable of occur through the December launch window (Dec. 24-26), the lander would touch down on the Moon’s surface at roughly 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 UTC) on Jan. 25, 2024.
Bruno said that the following launch window based on Peregrine’s needs opens on Jan. 8, 2024 and would likely last for 4 days. Dan Hendrickson, Astrobotic’s Vice President of Business Development, told Spaceflight Now back in October that the nominal time from launch to landing is between 30 and 39 days. It was not immediately clear if there’s a unique transit time for the early January launch window.
![](https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231031-Peregrine-arrives-small.jpg)
Shifting Moon race
With the launch potentially shifting to January, that changes the landscape for Moon-bound missions. Liftoff on Jan. 8 would mean Peregrine would launch just 4 days before the opening of the launch window for Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C lander onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) can be making its strategy to the Moon and is about to land around 1520 UTC on Jan. 19.