The Delta IV Heavy’s West Coast work is completed.
The highly effective United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket launched a hush-hush satellite for the U.S. Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace (NRO) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at the moment (Sept. 24), the car’s last-ever liftoff from the Golden State.
The Delta IV Heavy took flight at 6:25 p.m. EDT (2225 GMT; 3:25 p.m. native time) from Vandenberg’s Area Launch Complicated-6 on a mission referred to as NROL-91. Little or no is thought in regards to the spacecraft that went up on NROL-91. That is no shock; the NRO builds and operates the U.S. fleet of spy satellites, the actions and payloads of which are usually labeled.
The Delta IV Heavy: Powerful launch vehicle (reference)
An NRO mission description (opens in new tab) outlines NROL-91 solely in imprecise phrases, saying it “helps the general nationwide safety mission to supply intelligence knowledge to the USA’ senior coverage makers, the Intelligence Neighborhood and Division of Protection.”
We do not even know which orbit the satellite will occupy; that info is not given within the NRO or ULA descriptions, and ULA ended its webcast about seven minutes after launch at the moment on the NRO’s request.
At present’s launch was the 14th total for the Delta IV Heavy, which debuted in 2004. The 233-foot-tall (71 meters) rocket is able to lofting 62,540 kilos (28,370 kilograms) to low Earth orbit (LEO), greater than some other presently operational launcher besides SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy.
The Falcon Heavy can ship 140,660 kilos (63,800 kg) to LEO, in keeping with its SpaceX specifications page (opens in new tab).
Most Delta IV Heavy missions have carried NRO payloads to orbit, however NASA has employed the highly effective booster as properly. Delta IV Heavy autos launched the space company’s Parker Solar Probe in 2018 and the first flight test of its Orion crew capsule in 2014.
ULA is phasing out the Delta IV Heavy in favor of a brand new rocket referred to as the Vulcan Centaur, which might debut by the top of 2022. Simply two Delta IV Heavy flights stay, each NRO missions that may launch from Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. These missions will elevate off in 2023 and 2024, if all goes in keeping with plan.
Mike Wall is the writer of “Out There (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e-book in regards to the seek for alien life. Comply with him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Comply with us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or on Facebook (opens in new tab).
