Cheaper, Reusable Rocket Launches Space Exploration Into New Era [Video]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is sending its Vulcan Centaur Rocket up on Friday, an important milestone in the future of U.S. spaceflight.

The Vulcan Centaur’s second missions—called Cert-2—is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a three-hour window opening at 6 a.m. EDT.

The flight will last a total of 34 minutes, and is designed to prove that the rocket can handle U.S. military payloads.

The Vulcan is the first of a new class of rocket designed to encroach on a field currently dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has successfully launched 388 rockets in recent years.

The launch follows the “very, very successful” Cert-1 launch back in January, ULA president and CEO Tory Bruno said during a press …