United Launch Alliance has unveiled radical plans to launch a reusable rocket named 'Vulcan ' in 2019 . Vulcan will use new engines , mid-air recovery and a new upper stage aimed at enabling complex on-orbit manoeuvres . The company appears to have timed the announcement to overshadow SpaceX ' launch of Falcon 9 , which today hoped to prove that reusable rockets are viable . United Launch Alliance has unveiled a radical plans for reusable rocket named 'Vulcan ' that is slated to take off in 2019 . Vulcan will use new engines , mid-air recovery and a new upper stage aimed at enabling complex on-orbit manoeuvres . The aim of both SpaceX and ULA is to end US dependence on Russian-built rocket engines , but the technology has so far proven difficult . Russian-made RD-180 engines currently power ULA 's Atlas rocket , but Congress banned further imports as part of trade sanctions enacted after Russia invaded Ukraine last year . ULA said the new rocket 's first stage will be powered by a pair of liquid-oxygen and liquefied methane engines under development by Blue Origin . Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno told a news conference in Colorado that the engines will be designed to return to Earth , so they can be refurbished and reflown . ULA 's plan is to skip returning the whole booster , an approach favoured by rival SpaceX . It hopes to separate the engines after launch , inflate a heat shield around them and dispatch a helicopter to nab them mid-air . ULA 's plan is to skip returning the whole booster , an approach favoured by rival SpaceX . It hopes to separate the engines after launch , inflate a heat shield around them and dispatch a helicopter to grab them mid-air . Reusing the engines will enable ULA to cut launch costs to about $ 100 million for a medium-lift booster and about $ 200 million for heavy-lift variants . This is roughly half the cost of ULA 's current Delta 4 Heavy rocket . Initially , ULA will use its existing upper-stage Centaur engine but plans to introduce in 2023 an advanced motor that can recycle waste propellants . Hours after unveiling its next-generation 'Vulcan ' rocket , United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) , ran into its first problem - the rocket 's name . 'Vulcan is a trademark of Vulcan Inc. and we have informed ULA of our trademark rights , ' Chuck Beames , president of the Paul Allen-backed Vulcan Aerospace , told Reuters . 'Paul Allen and Vulcan were early leaders within space exploration with the launch of SpaceShipOne more than a decade ago . We are flattered by ULA 's tribute to our legacy by naming their new rocket 'Vulcan ' , ' Beames said . ULA , a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co , selected Vulcan as the name of its new booster , which will be developed in phases beginning in 2019 , after it won more than 1 million votes in a crowdsourcing initiative . 'We have done our due diligence regarding the legal right to use the name Vulcan , ' ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye wrote in an email . 'ULA is committed to taking every reasonable step to avoid any confusion with other entities using this name and we are confident we can do so , ' she said . This , it claims , will greatly extend its orbital lifetime and the number of missions it can perform . 'We can take multiple satellites into orbit . We can put them in different planes , ' Bruno said . 'When we get done with that , we can fly back to the space station . We can do all sorts of things . This is truly a game-changer . ' ULA also plans to reduce its launch pads from five to two , and offer a standardised menu of fixed launch prices , much like SpaceX , which posts its Falcon rocket pricing on its website . Bruno declined to say how much Vulcan 's development will cost , but added such efforts typically run at least $ 2 billion . ULA will use its own profits to bankroll the venture . SpaceX , meanwhile , is also hoping to transform the rocket business . Today , it attempted to land the first-stage booster of a Falcon 9 rocket on a platform floating a few hundred miles off Florida 's northeastern coast , near Jacksonville . The attempt did n't go to plan , with the rocket booster tipped over after landing . Despite being destroyed , the booster 's flyback marks an important step in the company 's quest to develop rockets that can be refurbished and reflown , potentially slashing launch costs . SpaceX founder , Elon Musk 's plan is to reuse his booster rockets rather than discard them as is the custom around the world , to reduce launch costs . First-stage boosters normally just slam into the Atlantic and sink . 'This might change completely how we approach transportation to space , ' SpaceX Vice President Hans Koenigsman told reporters during a prelaunch press conference . SpaceX is also hoping to transform the rocket business . Today , it attempted to land the first-stage booster of a Falcon 9 rocket on a platform floating a few hundred miles off Florida 's northeastern coast , near Jacksonville . Elon Musk tweeted this image of the booster coming back down to Earth .
Vulcan plans to use new engines , mid-air recovery and new upper stage . Engines will separate after launch and be picked up by helicopter mid-air . Reusable rockets could end US dependence on Vulcan rocket engines . SpaceX today also attempted to prove that reusable rockets are viable .