Like a proud parent, Tory Bruno shows off one of the “ginormous” cylindrical tanks now at Vandenberg Space Force Base as United Launch Alliance prepares for the debut of its fledgling Vulcan rocket from the West Coast.

California could see its first Vulcan rocket launch later this year as SLC-3, most recently home to Atlas IIAS and Atlas V missions, continues to get ready for the debut. 

The launch facility, notable by its huge tower visible on the horizon south of West Ocean Avenue, has undergone a modernization project in preparation for the Vulcan.

“This is such an exciting time to be involved in space,” said Bruno, president and chief executive officer for ULA. “It is really an exciting time to be doing it here on the Central Coast.”

He spoke during the REACH Ideas + Action Summit last week at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara, sharing about the industry and later updating Noozhawk about the progress to debut the firm’s newest launch vehicle on the West Coast. 

The modernization effort has seen the installation of new liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and liquified natural gas systems, including what Bruno described as having “ginormous” tanks, a new fixed launch platform, and upgrades to the mobile service tower, umbilical tower and environmental control systems. 

Work at the Vandenberg site began soon after the final Atlas V rocket launch from SLC-3 in November 2022.

“Construction’s going well. We’re hoping to activate the pad about the middle of the year,” Bruno told Noozhawk.

The flight hardware or first rocket should arrive in the middle of this year to begin being prepped for the mission, he added.

Vulcan’s debut could occur before the end of 2025, he added, declining to get more specific since it involves a national security payload.

Another key ULA customer is Amazon and its Project Kuiper system to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service from space via a constellation of satellites.

Vulcan debuted with a Florida launch in early 2024 and saw a second liftoff there in October. The third Vulcan blastoff reportedly is planned for the spring from Florida. 

ULA formed in 2006, joining Boeing’s Delta rockets and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Atlas rocket families under one company. In addition to Vandenberg, the firm’s rockets launch from Florida.

At the time, the industry saw few commercial satellites, so the need for launches remained extremely low.

“It was formed to avoid a crisis in space that you guys have probably never heard of,” Bruno said of ULA, noting that the U.S. government needed to ensure it had ways to get its critical national security satellites into orbit. 

As the commercial market has grown, satellites in orbit have continued to play increasing importance in everyday life on Earth while boosting the economy. 

“Space touches all your life every single day. You don’t even know it. Use the ATM? That’s space. Use your GPS to find this wonderful hotel? That was space. Check the weather? That was space. I can go on and on,” Bruno said. 

He expects a moderate growth rate for the national security missions but said it will be a drop in the bucket compared with the expansion for launches involving commercial satellites.

“It’s all about internet, and those spacecraft don’t last very long,” Bruno said. “It’s a great business to be in as a launch guy because it’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. You guys know about that? When you get to the end, you start again. By the time you get the constellations up, you start over and do another one.”

Bruno’s Central Coast visit last week also included a stop at Cal Poly, where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. The visit included speaking to a spacecraft design class, lunching with students and meeting with others on campus. 

Since graduating from Cal Poly, Bruno, who often sports a cowboy hat, has worked on various defense and space launch systems with a history in missile defense, strategic deterrence and various rocket programs. 

Late year, he was initiated into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame Class of 2024 at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

In hindsight, his childhood in California provided a strong hint of his penchant for propelling objects into the air.

Bruno, who was born in Monterey, told the REACH crowd about watching the first Apollo moon landing. 

“I was inspired,” he said. “I was a little kid.”

Growing up in Amador County in northeast California, the young Bruno discovered a box of 80-year-old dynamite and began his first foray into building a boy’s version of a “rocket.”

“I’m proud to say that a few made it almost as high as the ceiling in Bacara’s ballroom before detonating,” Bruno said, pointing out he still has 10 fingers and suggesting it wasn’t his best idea.

“I had a great summer until I got caught. I may still be grounded, I’m not sure.”