CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — All United Launch Alliance employees will be required to receive COVID-19 vaccinations beginning Sept. 1, becoming one of the first space companies to publicly confirm that decision.
The decision was first reported on CNBC.
The company attributed the move to the prevalence of the virus among communities where it has operations, including California, Texas, and Florida's Brevard County, the home of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The availability of employees for operations because of the spread of the virus could threaten launch schedules, the company indicated.
ULA released this statement to Spectrum News Friday:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every facet of life over the past 18 months. COVID-19 also is a challenge for our business, a business that is critical to our national security. To ensure the health and safety of our employees, beginning Sept. 1, 2021 ULA will require the COVID vaccination as a condition of employment. This requirement places ULA in a much better position to meet our nation’s needs and our manifest commitments while protecting the health of everyone at our facilities.”
Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno took to Twitter on Friday to respond to posts about the decision, indicating it was necessary to continue to meet launch obligations.
I took this decision with great reluctance. The much higher transmissibility of the Delta variant has affected operations at the Cape & in Decatur. Without this action, we would be unable to hold our mission commitments or help keep teammates safe who cannot be vaccinated
— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) August 20, 2021
ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, makes the Atlas and Delta rockets for the nation’s space program. One of its Atlas V rockets was expected to send Boeing’s Starliner mission into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this month before a valve problem resulted in the delay of the launch.