Tory Bruno, the chief executive officer of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s rocket joint venture United Launch Alliance, has resigned after serving in the position for nearly 12 years.
Chief Operating Officer John Elbon will serve as interim CEO, ULA’s board of directors announced on Monday.
One of SpaceX’s biggest rivals, ULA is one of an elite group of companies that is authorized to launch the most sensitive satellites for the US military. During his tenure leading ULA, Bruno oversaw the retirement and phasing out of the company’s older Delta and Atlas rockets, while spearheading the development of a new rocket called Vulcan.
“We are grateful for Tory’s service to ULA and the country, and we thank him for his leadership,” the ULA board said in a statement. Bruno is leaving to pursue another opportunity, the statement said.