
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
After nearly 12 years leading the United Launch Alliance (ULA), its chief Tory Bruno is stepping down from the U.S. rocket launch provider to pursue "another opportunity," the company announced this week.
What's that new opportunity? We're not sure yet, but it's guaranteed to be "Something interesting," Bruno wrote on social media after the Dec. 22 announcement.
Bruno took the reigns as ULA president and CEO in August 2014, overseeing the company, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as it launched its Atlas V rockets and retired its Delta rocket family. He oversaw the development of new booster, the Vulcan Centaur rocket, which ULA plans to use as a workhorse vehicle.
During Bruno's term, ULA fought to contend with launch competitor SpaceX, which successfully landed a Falcon 9 booster for the first time in 2015 to lower costs through reusability. SpaceX now regularly launches and lands Falcon 9 rockets and has flown over 160 times this year. ULA eventually hopes to recover and reuse only part of the Vulcan rocket, its BE-4 first stage engines built by Blue Origin.
"It has been a great privilege to lead ULA through its transformation and to bring Vulcan into service. My work here is now complete and I will be cheering ULA on," Bruno wrote on X.
"Finished the mission I came to do," he added. "Great people. Great rocket. New things coming."
In a statement, Robert Lightfoot and Kay Sears, the ULA board chairs for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, respectively, thanked Bruno for over a decade of service.
"We are grateful for Tory’s service to ULA and the country, and we thank him for his leadership," Lightfoot and Sears wrote in the statement.
ULA's board has appointed Boeing veteran John Elbon as interim CEO as the search for a new leader begins.
"We have the greatest confidence in John to continue strengthening ULA’s momentum while the board proceeds with finding the next leader of ULA," Lihtfoot and Sears wrote.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Greece eyes migrant repatriation centres outside the EU - 2
How HIV/AIDS got its name − the words Americans used for the crisis were steeped in science, stigma and religious language - 3
At UN climate conference, some activists and scientists want more talk on reforming agriculture - 4
Looking for a great Thanksgiving side dish recipe? These are the crowd-pleasers the Yahoo team swears by. - 5
All the ways Marjorie Taylor Greene has shifted her approach lately — and why Trump is 'surprised at her'
Greenland’s melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump is eyeing dangerous to extract
Pick the Ideal Family Feline Variety for Your Home
Picking Childcare Administrations for Your Loved ones
Vote in favor of your #1 Sort of Convenience for a Family
This Flashy Old-School Design Trend From Italy Still Has A Place In Modern Kitchens
Will your baby get a hep B vaccine? What RFK panel's ruling means.
Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays
Home Mechanization Frameworks for Brilliant Residing
Surveys of Music Collections by Film Stars












