Innovation at ULA- It really is Rocket Science

Innovation comes in many flavors, from organizational alignment, human resources, processes that support business and product execution, and products that define the enterprise. United Launch Alliance (ULA) origins stem from Lockheed Martin and Boeing when they revolutionized global space access with the introduction of their respective Atlas V and Delta IV rockets in the formulation of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program. The long history of innovation that resulted in these vehicles continues today at ULA, ensuring that the Atlas and Delta families will continue to provide reliable, cost-effective space transportation for decades to come. ULA overcame a variety of challenges during the process of combining people, processes, and products from two disparate and competing companies into the world-class, “one-team”, multiple product lines company that exists today. Innovation was required throughout while still leveraging 100 years of combined expertise between the two original teams. While not quite characterized as “Rocket Science”, organizational structure and extensive cross fertilization of employees evolved to fine-tune the one-team construct. Processes, analyses, and tools were evaluated, tested, and updated to ensure the final suite comprised the best-of-the-best. Continuous improvement labeled “Perfect Product Delivery” highlights ULA´s focus on increasing efficiency throughout the enterprise through constant innovation. Finally, the rocket science part of the equation, ULA continues to invest in product line innovation to provide increased performance, additional capability and flexibility, and open up new and exciting markets.