
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
Administrative building in Sharjah region targeted by Iranian drone, UAE authorities announce - 2
Dirty soda started as a Mormon alternative to booze. Now it's everywhere. - 3
The Best Games Crossroads in History - 4
Artemis II astronauts race to set a new distance record from Earth and behold the moon's far side - 5
Fact Check: Some Bridge Photos Circulating Do NOT Show The Hongqi Bridge That Collapsed In Southwest China Nov. 11, 2025
Addressing sleep apnea early might decrease chances of developing Parkinson's disease
The hunt for dark matter: a trivia quiz
Signature Scents: A Manual for Outstanding Fragrances
Dave Coulier reveals he has tongue cancer, his 2nd diagnosis in a year, after beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Am I a Summer, or is this a scam? What I learned from color analysis.
Nepal’s youngest premier sworn in after releasing new rap song about unity
Flourishing in a Remote Workplace: Individual Techniques
High Court weighs Assenheim appeal over release of Feldstein interview raw footage
Tech Patterns 2023: 12 Advancements to Keep an eye Out For












