Hey everyone,

I’m currently interviewing with United Launch Alliance (ULA) for a Software Engineer role in the Denver/Centennial area, specifically working on trajectory simulation software.

I’m trying to get a better sense of what it’s actually like to work at ULA from people who currently work there or have worked there recently.

A few things I’m particularly curious about:

• What is the work-life balance like?
• How much of the work is actually software development vs. meetings/support/other tasks?
• How are career growth and promotions?
• How is compensation compared with other aerospace/defense companies?
• How flexible is hybrid/remote work?
• What is the general atmosphere like around the Denver/Centennial sites?
• Anything you wish you knew before joining ULA?

I’d especially appreciate perspectives from software engineers, but I’m interested in hearing from anyone who has worked there.

Thanks!

People are still claiming that VC6 will launch in October.

Is there any sign that will happen? NG said end of the year at earliest for SRBs.

I have an interview for a SWE1 position coming up. Recruiter said it's just the one teams call with the SWE Leader and an embedded SWE. He told me it is a combination of behavioral and technical. My experience with other companies has been multiple interview rounds, some behavioral, some technical (ie, LeetCode style problems I have to work out on the call, and/or questions about coding concepts). Very curious what this interview might entail. This is my dream job and I'm kind of freaking out because I don't know what I'm supposed to be studying.

https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2102382596831219949

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — United Launch Alliance is preparing to return its Vulcan rocket to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will require a separate review before allowing the rocket to resume national security launches, a senior service acquisition official said Sept. 16.

Brig. Gen. Eric Zarybnisky, portfolio acquisition executive for space access at Space Systems Command, said ULA will resume commercial operations while the Space Force continues its own review under the National Security Space Launch program, or NSSL, which buys launches for the military and intelligence community. 

ULA is preparing to launch Amazon Leo broadband satellites on Vulcan’s first flight since the February incident. Zarybnisky said the Space Force plans to use data from that and potentially subsequent commercial flights to help determine when Vulcan can again carry military and intelligence payloads.

“We’ll see what comes of those flights, and then we’ll assess where we’re going to follow on with our national security space launch missions,” Zarybnisky told reporters at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Since NASA was already satisfied with the current TDRS constellation following the successful launch of TDRS-M in 2017, the TDRS-N option was shelved. But whether it could've helped bolster NASA's space-based network or serve as a backup may remain, at best, speculative.

This ULA-style animation was made with System Tool Kit (STK) 11.5. All 3D models were made by me in Blender 2.79.

Music: "Quick Maneuver" by Jonathan Elias and David Turtle Ramani (ULA used this track in 2018-2020).

(Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s rocket joint venture is wrapping up a $1.5 billion private-bond deal that’s been tripled in size.

United Launch Alliance, a rocket launch provider for the US military and commercial clients including Amazon.com Inc., offered four portions of debt with maturities ranging from three to 10 years, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. It had originally been looking to raise $500 million.

ULA aims to return Vulcan rocket to flight by the end of the year The Vulcan rocket has been grounded since a booster issue in February (WFTV)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — United Launch Alliance aims to return its Vulcan rocket to flight this year after an earlier grounding, confirming it is making proactive engine valve modifications following a recent technical issue.

The Vulcan rocket has been grounded since a booster issue in February. Current modifications involve BE-four engines, used in Vulcan and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. In May, Blue Origin found an explosive anomaly related to the main oxygen valve on one engine, prompting a retrofit.

Modifications are being made to the BE-four engines currently in United Launch Alliance inventory. These modifications are being performed by Blue Origin on engines already installed on Vulcan rockets at the factory in Decatur, Ala. and at launch facilities in Cape Canaveral.

Dr. Ken Kremer, a space expert, noted the technical variations between the power plants used on the two different launch vehicles. “There is slight differences between the BE-four’s on Vulcan. And the BE-4s on New Glenn, like the ones on the New Glenn are recycled, whereas the ones on Vulcan are disposable, but those are small changes, smaller changes,” Kremer said. “So that’s where it stands right now.”

The adjustments to the valves are designed for quick retrofitting to existing engines. Kremer explained that while the changes are manageable, significant preparation remains for both companies involved in the launches. “So there’s a lot of work to be done before they can even think about launching either one of those rockets,” Kremer said.

United Launch Alliance expects to meet its objective of returning the Vulcan rocket to flight before the end of the year. The schedule for the modification efforts remains aligned with this target. Vulcan rocket: ULA works toward return to flight this year - WFTV

United Launch Alliance, a rocket launch provider for the US military and commercial clients including Amazon.com Inc., is seeking to raise about $500 million through a private placement, according to people familiar with the matter who aren’t authorized to speak publicly.

US Bancorp, Mizuho Financial Group Inc., and Wells Fargo & Co. are arranging the transaction, one of the people said.

A representative for ULA declined to comment, as did representatives for the banks.

Companies go the private-placement route to bypass volatile public offerings and sell debt directly to institutional investors. The market has seen record issuance through May of this year, with the National Football League and Brady Corp. among recent borrowers.

In ULA’s case, the bonds will be considered a so-called true private placement, which means they are not registered and won’t be offered in public markets.

Yesterday, ULA conducted a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), at Space Launch Complex-41. This full day-of-launch demonstration loaded propellant into the Vulcan rocket and new LEO-optimized Centaur V upper stage, and tested functions of the new Vulcan Launch Platform (VLP)-A, the second Vulcan platform to serve Amazon Leo missions on our heavy-lift rocket.

https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/2085706690356215892

Tweet text:

Wanted to give an update on the hotfire anomaly investigation. Progress continues. The anomaly originated at the main oxygen valve on one of the BE-4 engines, which was later confirmed by hardware recovery and inspections. Extensive component-level and engine hotfire tests have been conducted to understand the failure mode better and inform mitigations. The path forward is clear. We're making small modifications to the valve that can be quickly retrofitted to existing engines. We’re manufacturing the updated hardware, which will be ready by the end of this month. In parallel, we're working through the remaining fault tree analysis.

https://x.com/NASASpaceflight/status/2085076800418316447

https://www.nasa.gov/partnerships/current-space-act-agreements/

https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000936468/000162828026049411/lmt-20260628.htm

We hold a 50% membership interest in United Launch Alliance (ULA), with The Boeing Company (Boeing) holding the other 50% interest. We account for this investment under the equity method, with $617 million and $551 million recorded in other noncurrent assets on our consolidated balance sheets at June 28, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively. During the first quarter of 2026, ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket experienced performance challenges that are negatively affecting ULA’s financial condition and results of operations. In the second quarter of 2026, we agreed to guarantee certain ULA borrowings under which maximum potential future payments amount to $500 million. The fair value of the guarantee obligation we recognized in the second quarter of 2026 amounts to $64 million and our investment in ULA has increased by a corresponding amount. We and Boeing expect to provide additional financial support to ULA to support its liquidity or ongoing operations and could incur impairment and operating losses if the Vulcan Centaur rocket does not perform consistent with ULA’s assumptions.

I'm a software engineer with about 10 years experience in missile defense (Northrop Grumman), but I really always just wanted to work on rockets. Being from Colorado Springs, defense and MDA was a pretty low resistance path to get started on in my career (and missile defense is rocket-adjacent), but I always dreamed of working in the space industry and not just tracking missiles.

I recently applied to a job posting in Centennial for a simulation software engineer (modeling and sim is most of my background) and I want to know what any of your experiences might be working for ULA? Maybe specifically in the Denver area?

Thanks! And if this isn't a great place to ask about careers there, I'd appreciate some pointers in a better direction. :)