United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is scheduled to fly its first military space launch next week.

Pending range approval, the mission is slated to lift off Aug. 12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying Space Force satellites destined for geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles above Earth.

The milestone is a long time coming for ULA, the Defense Department’s longtime launch provider, which started developing its Vulcan rocket in 2014. The vehicle — which is replacing the company’s legacy workhorse, Atlas V — flew two demonstration missions last year and achieved its required military certification from the Space Force in March .

ULA and SpaceX are the only companies with rockets certified to fly National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. For years, pri

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