[Launch Alert] Delta IV Heavy Launched

[Launch Alert]

Today's scheduled launch of a Delta IV Heavy from Vandenberg AFB took place at 13:47 PDT. Here are some news releases regarding the launch.

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Delta IV launched from Vandenberg
By Senior Airman Hanah Abercrombie, 30th Space Wing

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload launched by team Vandenberg from Space Launch Complex-6 here Monday at 1:47 p.m. PDT.

Col. Anthony Mastalir, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision authority.

“The teamwork between the 30th Space Wing, the 2nd Space Launch Squadron, the National Reconnaissance Office, United Launch Alliance, and numerous other agencies was outstanding,” said Mastalir. “National Security Space Launch is a ‘no-fail’ mission that requires the highest level of professionalism and dedication from all the Airmen and Guardians assigned to Team Vandenberg.”

This was the ninth Delta IV-Heavy launched from Vandenberg, with the first launch occurring Jan. 20, 201, and it is the largest rocket ever to launch from the West Coast of the United States.

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United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches NROL-82 Mission to Support National Security
Delta IV Heavy heavy-lift performance optimized mission

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., (April 26, 2021) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle carrying the NROL-82 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-6 on April 26 at 1:47 p.m. PDT. To date ULA has launched 143 times with 100 percent mission success.

“The unmatched power of the Delta IV Heavy again demonstrated its role as the nation’s proven heavy lift vehicle precisely delivering this critical NRO asset to its intended orbit,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “We are honored to support National Security space and thank our mission partners for their continued trust and teamwork.”

The Delta IV Heavy is recognized for delivering high-priority missions for the U.S. Space Force, NRO and NASA. The vehicle also launched NASA's Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to unlock the mysteries of the sun.

This was the 42nd launch of the Delta IV rocket, the 13th in the Heavy configuration and ULA’s 31st launch with the NRO.

This Delta IV Heavy was comprised of three common core boosters each powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR) RS-68A liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine, producing a combined total of more than 2.1 million pounds of thrust. The second stage was powered by an AR RL10B-2 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine.

ULA’s next launch is the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO Flight 5 mission for the U.S. Space Force, scheduled for May 17, 2021, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation.

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).

Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.

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USSF successfully launches NRO payload aboard a ULA Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE – EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Launch Enterprise team and its mission partners successfully launched the National Reconnaissance Office Launch (NROL)-82 mission on United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in northern Santa Barbara county at 1:47 p.m. Pacific Time, April 26.

“The payload launched today is one of the most complex payloads our nation launches and it provides vital space capability,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of SMC’s Launch Enterprise. “That’s why we have to get it right the first time. The launch team performed flawlessly and I am so proud of the work they do to ensure 100 percent mission success.”

The Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle has been the workhorse for the NRO’s heaviest satellites for the past decade.  This is the first USSF National Security Space Launch this year and the NRO’s 18th mission from VAFB since 2006.

“Congratulations to our NRO, ULA, 30th Space Wing and SMC team for a successful NROL-82 launch,” said Col. Erin Gulden, chief of SMC’s Launch Enterprise Atlas and Delta Division. “It is a testament to the skill and dedication of our team to have successfully placed 85 of 85 national security payloads in orbit.”

The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC’s portfolio includes space launch, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, a defense meteorological satellite control network, range systems, space-based infrared systems, and space domain awareness capabilities.

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Aerojet Rocketdyne Powers Launch of ULA’s Delta IV Heavy to Orbit

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 26, 2021 – Engines supplied by Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the lifting power for today’s successful launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a classified U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) NROL-82 payload.

“When it comes to launching high-value national security payloads, America puts its trust in our propulsion systems,” said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “Our reliable, flight-proven RS-68 and RL10 engines have supported ULA’s Delta IV Heavy missions since the rocket’s first flight in 2004 and have continued with 100% mission success for nearly two decades.”

The Delta IV Heavy features three core stages in a side-by-side configuration, each powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A engine generating 705,000 pounds of thrust at liftoff. The RS-68A, developed specifically for the Delta IV, is the world’s most powerful hydrogen-fueled engine.

The vehicle’s second stage is powered by a single RL10B-2 hydrogen-fueled engine generating 24,750 pounds of thrust. Variants of the RL10 have been flying since the 1960s on various rockets, with well over 500 having flown to date.

The Delta IV Heavy’s propulsion systems also feature pressurant tanks built by Aerojet Rocketdyne’s ARDÉ subsidiary.

About Aerojet Rocketdyne: Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of domestic and international customers. For more information, visit www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com. Follow Aerojet Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at @AerojetRdyne and @DrakeEileen.