United Launch Alliance’s longtime leader, Tory Bruno, resigned unexpectedly on Dec. 22, 2025, leaving the company in the hands of interim CEO John Elbon at a moment when ULA is deep into the transition from legacy rockets to the Vulcan Centaur.
Bruno — who guided ULA for nearly 12 years — posted that “My work here is now complete” as the brief company statement from Lockheed Martin board representatives framed the departure as a move to “pursue another opportunity.” Robert Lightfoot, Lockheed Martin’s vice president who chairs the Lockheed side of ULA’s board, thanked Bruno for his service and elevated Chief Operating Officer John Elbon to interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.
Why it matters now
This isn’t just a leadership shuffle. Under Bruno ULA closed the Delta IV Heavy chapter, performed some 83 orbital launches, and shepherded the Vulcan rocket from development into operational flights. Vulcan’s entry has reshaped ULA’s role in national security launch markets — the rocket won a substantial share of forthcoming U.S. Space Force missions after receiving certification — and the company still faces key technical and production milestones in the near term.
John Elbon is no stranger to those challenges: as COO he oversaw launch programs and the operational side of getting rockets off the pad. The board also accelerated internal moves that were already in motion — Mark Peller, previously head of Vulcan development, has taken over as COO earlier than planned.
The Decatur factory and the industrial picture
ULA’s enormous factory in Decatur, Alabama — a 2.2 million-square-foot plant on the Tennessee River — is the physical heart of the company’s manufacturing shift from Atlas V and Delta IV hardware into Vulcan production. Local and national customers watch closely: any change at the top of a major launch provider ripples through supply chains, cadence plans and contract schedules.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Bruno himself came to ULA from Lockheed Martin in 2014 after a career that included work on the Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile program and decades in space and missile programs. His departure follows a company storyline of consolidation, modernization and competition with newer entrants in commercial and national security launches.
What the change could mean
Short-term: continuity. The board’s quick elevation of Elbon and the internal promotion of Peller were meant to reassure customers that launch operations and upcoming Vulcan milestones remain top priorities. Longer-term: a fresh leader could shift emphasis on commercial partnerships, international sales, or technology investments — decisions that matter as orbit becomes more crowded and complex.
The industry around ULA is evolving fast. Big-tech experiments and new orbital concepts — from projects that imagine data centers in space to increasingly capable satellite-based services — are changing demand patterns for launch providers. See how companies are testing orbital infrastructure with initiatives like Google’s Project Suncatcher, and how in-orbit services are being paired with smarter navigation and user-facing tools such as the emerging Google Maps Gemini copilot.
Bruno’s exit was curt on details and unusually swift for a company that had just celebrated Vulcan milestones. ULA and its board have publicly framed it as amicable, and industry watchers will be parsing customer notices and contract language for any subtle shifts in priorities.
If there’s a certifiable fact in all of this: ULA sits at a tricky inflection point — a mature contractor moving through a generational rocket change while competing in a market that prizes speed, cost and innovation. Leadership changes at that moment tend to be more consequential than they look on paper.
Sources within ULA’s announcement and company history formed the basis of this report; the board has said it will begin a search for a permanent CEO while Elbon runs day-to-day operations.