Tory Bruno stepped down as chief executive of United Launch Alliance, ending a tenure of nearly 12 years at the helm of the Boeing (BA)-Lockheed Martin (LMT) rocket joint venture.
His exit comes at a pivotal moment for ULA, one of the primary launch providers for U.S. national security missions and commercial customers such as Amazon. The company has been working to increase launch cadence while facing intensifying competition from SpaceX (SPACE) and other emerging rivals.
ULA said its chief operating officer, John Elbon, has been appointed interim chief executive, effective immediately.
The joint venture is among a small group of launch providers authorized to deploy the most sensitive U.S. military satellites. However, SpaceX has steadily expanded its share of the launch market, challenging ULA’s long-held position. The Elon Musk-led company is also weighing an initial public offering that could take place as early as 2026.
During Bruno’s leadership, ULA retired its legacy Delta and Atlas rocket families while advancing development of a next-generation launch vehicle known as Vulcan. The program, however, encountered repeated delays. Initially unveiled in 2015 with an expected first flight around 2019, Vulcan did not make its debut until January 2024.
Since then, the rocket has flown only two additional missions. Following an anomaly during its second launch in October 2024, ULA paused flights until August 2025, when Vulcan returned to service.
In early 2025, a U.S. Air Force assessment found that ULA had fallen short of performance expectations under its National Security Space Launch commitments. The company later received formal certification from the U.S. Space Force in March 2025, allowing Vulcan to carry military payloads.
Alongside Vulcan operations, ULA has continued flying its Atlas V rocket, completing five missions in 2025. These included a December launch carrying satellites for Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation.
Bruno’s departure also comes as competitive pressure in the launch sector continues to build. Blue Origin, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is preparing to ramp up flights of its New Glenn rocket, while SpaceX continues development of its next-generation Starship vehicle.
In a statement, ULA’s board thanked Bruno for his leadership and service, saying he is leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.