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"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 Corp 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.
On Monday, ULA unveiled the reusable "Vulcan" rocket that is
slated to end U.S. dependence on Russian-built rocket engines.
"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.
(Editing by Ken Wills and Paul Tait)
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