ULA brings Vulcan payload fairing manufacturing in-house from Beyond Gravity
United Launch Alliance · Beyond Gravity
ULA is taking over fairing production from longtime supplier Beyond Gravity to cut costs and vertically integrate.
what happened
United Launch Alliance said it is bringing payload fairing manufacturing in-house, acquiring the work from supplier Beyond Gravity USA, with the agreement expected to close before the end of 2026 and the first ULA-produced fairing flying in 2027, per Via Satellite and Defense Daily. More than 300 Beyond Gravity employees in Decatur, Alabama, where the supplier currently leases 400,000 square feet of ULA's factory, will be offered positions with ULA. Beyond Gravity had built ULA's composite fairings, which measure 5.4 meters in diameter in 15.5-meter and 21.3-meter lengths, for more than 20 years; ULA will also take over manufacturing of heat shields, payload attach fittings and inter-stage adapters.
why it matters
ULA CEO Mark Peller said vertical integration lets the company "drive our processes, maintain our high quality, improve efficiencies and continue to reduce the costs of our rockets," a direct cost lever as ULA ramps Vulcan launch cadence for Amazon Leo and national security missions while competing against SpaceX's lower prices.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- United Launch Alliance, Beyond Gravity
- Category
- product
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 3 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-11-04
- Published
- 2026-11-05 00:16 UTC