Vulcan Centaur 6S

VC6S

Mission Profile

The Vulcan Centaur 6S (VC6S) is a planned two-stage American launch vehicle in the Vulcan family, the most powerful configuration featuring six GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur V upper stage under the NSSL programme. Standing 61.6 m tall with a 5.4 m diameter and a projected liftoff mass of 728 tonnes, it generates 14,890 kN of liftoff thrust and can deliver 20,200 kg to low Earth orbit or 9,300 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. With a planned first launch around 2027, the Vulcan Centaur 6S will provide the maximum performance variant for the heaviest national security payloads.