ULA's 1st Vulcan Centaur rocket launch looks spectacular in these photos and videos

Daisy Dobrijevic
·2 min read
Three images side by side showing the vulcan centaur engines blasting the rocket up from the launch pad.
Three images side by side showing the vulcan centaur engines blasting the rocket up from the launch pad.

United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday (Jan. 8) at 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 GMT).

The launch — the first ever for the powerful Vulcan Centaur — sent Astrobotic's private Peregrine moon lander toward Earth's nearest neighbor, where it is expected to land on Feb. 23. Success in that effort would be historic: No private spacecraft has ever touched down softly on the lunar surface.

Here we take a look at some of the first photos from this stunning nighttime launch.

Related: ULA's Vulcan rocket launches private US moon lander, 1st since Apollo, and human remains in debut flight

three images side by side showing the vulcan centaur engines blasting the rocket up from the launch pad.
three images side by side showing the vulcan centaur engines blasting the rocket up from the launch pad.
a ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket launching from a launch pad at night.
a ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket launching from a launch pad at night.
a vulcan centaur rocket launching into the black nighttime sky.
a vulcan centaur rocket launching into the black nighttime sky.
Vulcan rocket launch showing rocket against a black sky with billowing flames from the engines below
Vulcan rocket launch showing rocket against a black sky with billowing flames from the engines below
Vulcan Centaur launch showing a bright light through the sky.
Vulcan Centaur launch showing a bright light through the sky.
Vulcan Centaur rocket on the launch pad.
Vulcan Centaur rocket on the launch pad.
Vulcan Centaur rocket launch streak of light through a dark sky.
Vulcan Centaur rocket launch streak of light through a dark sky.

Across the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, spectators and photographers appeared thrilled to have witnessed the first flight of Vulcan Centaur.

Vulcan Centaur could fly again relatively soon. The rocket's next mission, which will send Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane toward the International Space Station on a robotic cargo mission, may lift off as early as April.

ULA has four other missions on Vulcan Centaur's manifest after that in 2024 as well, for a total of six potential flights this year.