Boeing and Lockheed Martin's joint venture, United Launch Alliance, said on Friday its Vulcan rocket successfully launched its second mission, in what is a crucial step to receive certification for Pentagon missions.

United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket completed its second successful flight on Friday, an important step for future use.

United Launch Alliance is set to send its second Vulcan rocket into space Friday, weather permitting, though the details of the certification mission are largely under wraps.

The rocket company, jointly owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has been racing to prepare its vehicle to carry military satellites.

Despite an apparent problem with one of two strap-on boosters, the Vulcan reached orbit and otherwise performed as expected.

United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket just launched on its second-ever mission, a key test flight that keeps it on track for certification by the U.S. Space Force.

The United Launch Alliance successfully launched its second Vulcan rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday. The rocket carried a payload that will study conditions for future Centaur 5 demonstrations and experiments.