
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
Find Successful Magnificence Items for Sparkling Skin - 2
Early Thanksgiving week forecast: Where Americans can expect cold, rain and snow for the holiday - 3
The Fate of Mechanical technology: 5 Headways Forming Tomorrow - 4
Winter storm headed for Midwest to Northeast. Here's how much snow to expect. - 5
Banks for High Fixed Store Rates: Augment Your Investment funds
See the metal guts of a satellite in this wild X-ray view | Space photo of the day for Dec. 4, 2025
The Most Astonishing Arising Advances to Watch
Where is Santa right now? NORAD tracks his 2025 Christmas Eve flight.
New images reveal interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS approaching Earth
Nikki Glaser returns as host of the 2026 Golden Globes: Everything the comedian has said about the upcoming awards show
From Overpowered to Coordinated: Individual Accounts of Cleaning up
The most effective method to Pick the Right Material Organization: Fundamental Tips
Tyler Childers' 'Snipe Hunt' 2026 Tour: How to get tickets, presale times, prices and more
Figure out How to Pick the Right Dental specialist for Your Dental Inserts












