United Launch Alliance, an Old-School Space Company on the Cusp of…
Tory Bruno has resigned from United Launch Alliance (ULA), after nearly 12 years as CEO and President of one of America’s largest providers of rocket launches. The announcement is an important leadership change as the global space launch market evolves quickly for the Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture.
Bruno took the helm at ULA in 2014 at a tough time for the launch industry as competition increased and government officials demanded new requirements to make launches cheaper. “He had risen to become a giant in the aerospace industry as an engineer and manager, making frequent visits to Kennedy Space Center to provide technical guidance on vehicle integration.” He oversaw significant strategic shifts that were focused on modernizing ULA’s operations and ensuring that the company remained a reliable launch provider for national security missions.
Under his guidance, ULA retired its Delta IV Heavy heritage range and pivoted toward a new generation of launch systems. Among Bruno’s significant accomplishments, he led the Vulcan rocket development program to replace ULA’s legacy Atlas and Delta vehicles while enhancing performance, affordability and reliability.
Interim Leadership and the Next Steps
John Elbon has been named Interim Chief Executive Officer of ULA’s board of directors after Bruno exited. Elbon, a longtime aerospace executive, will lead the company in the interim while the board searches for a permanent chief executive. Furthermore, Mark Peller has accelerated than scheduled in his new position as COO, providing continuation in the Operations function’s leadership.
Bruno said in a personal message posted following the announcement that he is proud of the ULA team and optimistic about the company’s future. He said the operationalization of Vulcan marked a significant end to that chapter of his career, and called it an honor to have been part of ULA. He didn’t announce what his next job would be, but said he’s excited to move on from the company.
As ULA progresses, the leadership change arrives at a time when it must compete with commercial launch providers and an increasing reliance on space-access services. But despite these hard times, ULA is still a major player in both national security launches and in high-value missions. Industry watchers will also be eager to see how the company continues Bruno’s vision under new leadership, and how it readies itself for the next chapter in space exploration and defense operations.
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