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This article is about the rocket. For the submarine see Delta class submarine. Project 6667B submarines ( NATO reporting name Delta are Soviet -built strategic nuclear missile Submarines designed to threaten targets in the
Delta IV (Delta 9000)
Delta IV Medium launch carrying DSCS III-B6
Delta IV Medium launch carrying DSCS III-B6
Fact sheet
Function Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer Boeing IDS
United Launch Alliance
Country of origin United States
Size
Height 63 - 77. In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 2 m (206 - 253. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 2 ft)
Diameter 5 m (16. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 4 ft)
Mass 249,500 - 733,400 kg (550,000 - 1,616,800 lb)
Stages 2
Capacity
Payload to LEO 8,600 - 25,800 kg (18,900 - 56,800 lb)
Payload to
GTO		 3,900 - 10,843 kg (8,500 - 23,904 lb)
Launch History
Status Active
Launch sites SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral
SLC-6, Vandenberg AFB
Total launches 8
Medium: 3
Medium+ (4,2): 3
Heavy: 2
Successes 7
Medium: 3
Medium+ (4,2): 3
Heavy: 1
Partial failures 1 (Heavy)
Maiden flight 20 November 2002
Boosters (Medium+ Variants) - GEM 60
No boosters Medium: 0; M+4,2: 2; M+5: 2 or 4
Engines 1 Solid
Thrust 826. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37 ( LC-37) is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield Space Launch Complex-6 ( SLC-6, nicknamed "Slick Six" at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was a launch pad and support area designed Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. A Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM is a high-performance Solid rocket motor used for supplemental thrust on several Launch vehicles including the Boeing A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) 6 kN (185,817 lbf)
Specific impulse 275 sec
Burn time 90 seconds
Fuel Solid
Boosters (Heavy) - Delta IV CBC
No boosters 2
Engines 1 RS-68
Thrust 3,312. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) The Rocketdyne RS-68 (Rocket System 68 is a Liquid hydrogen / Liquid oxygen engine developed starting in the 1990s with the goal of producing a simpler 8 kN (744,737 lbf)
Specific impulse 410 sec
Burn time 249 seconds
Fuel LH2/LOX
First Stage - Delta IV CBC
Engines 1 RS-68
Thrust 3,312. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Liquid hydrogen (LH2 or LH2 is the Liquid state of the element Hydrogen. The Rocketdyne RS-68 (Rocket System 68 is a Liquid hydrogen / Liquid oxygen engine developed starting in the 1990s with the goal of producing a simpler 8 kN (744,737 lbf)
Specific impulse 410 sec
Burn time 259 seconds
Fuel LH2/LOX
Second Stage
Engines 1 RL-10B-2
Thrust 110 kN (24,740 lbf)
Specific impulse 462 sec
Burn time 850 - 1,125 seconds
Fuel LH2/LOX

The Delta IV is a family of Delta rockets designed by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in United Launch Alliance's facility in Decatur, Alabama with final assembly at the launch site by United Launch Alliance. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Liquid hydrogen (LH2 or LH2 is the Liquid state of the element Hydrogen. The RL-10 was America's first liquid hydrogen fueled rocket engine and an updated version is used in several current Launch vehicles Six RL-10 engines were used in the Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Liquid hydrogen (LH2 or LH2 is the Liquid state of the element Hydrogen. Delta is a family of Expendable launch systems that have provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960 A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the US state of Alabama. [1] The rockets were designed for the United States Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and commercial satellite business, and are intended to reduce the cost and effort needed to launch payloads into orbit. The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle ( EELV) program is a United States government, primarily a Department of Defense –sponsored effort begun in the The Delta IV is available in five versions: Medium, Medium+ (4,2), Medium+ (5,2), Medium+ (5,4), and Heavy, which are tailored to suit specific payload size and weight ranges. The Delta IV is primarily designed to satisfy the needs of the U. S. military.

The rockets are assembled at the Horizontal Integration Facility and launched from LC-37B at Cape Canaveral, and SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB. A horizontal integration facility is a location within which the stages of a Multistage rocket are brought together before the assembled stack is rolled out to the launch Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37 ( LC-37) is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield Space Launch Complex-6 ( SLC-6, nicknamed "Slick Six" at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was a launch pad and support area designed Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

Contents

Vehicle description

The first stage of a Delta IV consists of one, or in the Heavy variety three, Common Booster Cores (CBC) powered by a Rocketdyne RS-68 engine. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United States company that designs and produces Rocket engines that use liquid propellants. The Rocketdyne RS-68 (Rocket System 68 is a Liquid hydrogen / Liquid oxygen engine developed starting in the 1990s with the goal of producing a simpler Unlike most first-stage rocket engines, which use solid fuel or kerosene, the RS-68 engines burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the

The RS-68 is the first large, liquid-fueled rocket engine designed in the U. S. since the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) in the 1970s. SSME redirect here For the services field see Service Science Management and Engineering The Space Shuttle Main Engines ( SSMEs This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The primary goal for the RS-68 was to reduce cost versus the SSME. Some sacrifice in chamber pressure and specific impulse was made, hurting efficiency; however, development time, part count, total cost, and assembly labor were reduced to a fraction of the SSME, despite the RS-68's significantly larger size. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Typically, the RS-68 runs at 102% rated thrust for the first few minutes of flight, and then throttles down to 58% rated thrust before main engine cutoff. [2] On the Heavy variant, the core CBC's engine throttles down to 58% rated thrust around 50 seconds after liftoff, while the strap-on CBCs remain at 102%. This allows the core CBC to conserve propellant and burn longer. After the strap-on CBCs separate, the core CBC's engine throttles back up to 102%, until main engine cutoff, before which it throttles back down to 58%. [3]

The RS-68 engine is mounted to the lower thrust structure of the vehicle by a four-legged (quadrapod) thrust frame, and enclosed in a protective composite conical thermal shield. Above the thrust structure is an aluminum isogrid (a grid pattern machined out of the inside of the tank to reduce weight) liquid hydrogen tank, followed by a composite cylinder called the centerbody, an aluminum isogrid liquid oxygen tank, and a forward skirt. WikipediaNaming An isogrid is a structure which has a sheet of material (usually metal with integral metal stiffeners in a triangular pattern on one side Along the back of the CBC is a cable tunnel to hold electrical and signal lines, and a tube to carry the liquid oxygen to the RS-68 from the tank. The CBC is of a constant, 5-meter, diameter.

The L-3 Communications Redundant Inertial Flight Control Assembly (RIFCA) guidance system used on the Delta IV is common to that carried on the Delta II, although the software is different because of the differences between the Delta II and Delta IV. Not to be confused with Level 3 Communications, an Internet carrier L-3 Communications Holdings Inc The RIFCA features six ring laser gyroscopes and accelerometers each, to provide a higher degree of reliability. A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of Angular momentum. An accelerometer is a device for measuring Acceleration and gravity induced reaction forces [4]

The upper stage of the Delta IV is nearly identical to that of the Delta III, however the tanks are either stretched (in 4-meter variants), or have a larger diameter (5-meter variants). The Delta III rocket was an expendable Launch vehicle made by Boeing. The second stage is powered by a Pratt & Whitney RL-10B2 engine, which features an extendable carbon-carbon nozzle to improve specific impulse. Pratt & Whitney is an American Aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft. The RL-10 was America's first liquid hydrogen fueled rocket engine and an updated version is used in several current Launch vehicles Six RL-10 engines were used in the Depending on variant, two different interstages are used to mate the first and second stages. A tapering interstage which narrows down from 5-meters to 4-meters in diameter is used on 4-meter variants, where a cylindrical interstage is used on 5-meter variants. Both interstages are built from composites.

To encapsulate the satellite payload, a variety of different payload fairings are available. A stretched Delta III 4-meter payload fairing is used on 4-meter variants, where an enlarged, 5-meter fairing is used on 5-meter variants. A longer version of the latter is standard on the Heavy variant, and a 5-meter, aluminum isogrid payload fairing is also available for the Heavy.

The Delta IV entered the space launch market at a period when global capacity was already much higher than demand. Furthermore, as an unproven design it has had difficulty finding a market in commercial launches, and the cost to launch a Delta IV is somewhat higher than that for competing vehicles. In 2003, Boeing pulled the Delta IV from the commercial market, citing low demand and high costs. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. In 2005, Boeing stated that it may return the Delta IV to commercial service; however as of 2006 no further announcements have been made regarding this. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [5] All but one of the first launches have been paid for by the U. S. Government, with a cost of between $140 million and $170 million.

Comparable rockets: Atlas V - Ariane 5 - Chang Zheng 5 - Angara

Variants

The Delta IV Medium (Delta 9040) is the most basic Delta IV. The Atlas V Rocket is an Expendable launch vehicle formerly built by Lockheed Martin and now built by the Lockheed Martin- Boeing joint venture Ariane 5 is a European Expendable launch Designed and developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT Long March 5 ( LM-5, CZ-5, or Changzheng 5) is China's The Angara rocket is a planned space-launch vehicle, designed to place heavy payloads into orbit It features a single CBC and a modified Delta III second stage, with 4-meter liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks and a 4-meter payload fairing derived from the Delta III fairing. The Delta IV Medium is capable of launching 4,210 kg (9,285 lb) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit

The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) (Delta 9240) is similar to the Medium, but uses two Alliant-built 1. Alliant Techsystems Inc ( is an American aerospace and defense company with approximately 17000 employees and operations in 21 states 5-m (60-in) diameter solid rocket strap-on Graphite-Epoxy Motors (GEM-60s) to increase payload capacity to 5,845 kg (12,890 lb) to GTO. A Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM is a high-performance Solid rocket motor used for supplemental thrust on several Launch vehicles including the Boeing

The Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) (Delta 9250) is similar to the Medium+ (4,2), but has a 5-m–diameter payload fairing for larger payloads and a modified second stage with a 5-meter liquid hydrogen tank and stretched liquid oxygen tank. Because of the extra weight of the larger payload fairing and second stage, the Medium+ (5,2) can launch 4,640 kg (10,230 lb) to GTO, less than the Medium+ (4,2).

The Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) (Delta 9450) is similar to the Medium+ (5,2), but uses four GEM-60s instead of two, enabling it to lift 6,565 kg (14,475 lb) to GTO.

The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) is similar to the Medium+ (5,2), except that it uses two additional CBCs instead of using GEMs. These are strap-on boosters which are separated earlier in the flight than the center CBC. The Delta IV Heavy also features a stretched 5-meter composite payload fairing. [6] An aluminum trisector (3 part) fairing derived from the Titan IV is also available. The Titan IV family (including the IVA and IVB of Space boosters were used by the U [7] This was first used on the DSP-23 flight.

Capacity (separated spacecraft mass) of the Delta IV Heavy:

The Heavy's total mass at launch is approximately 733,000 kg, much less than that of the Space Shuttle (2,040,000 kg). A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit A geosynchronous orbit is an Orbit around the Earth with an Orbital period matching the Earth's sidereal rotation period An escape orbit (also known as C 3 = 0 orbit is a high-energy Parabolic orbit around the central body In Astrodynamics the specific Orbital energy \epsilon\\! (or vis-viva energy) of an Orbiting body traveling through Space NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States

During the Delta IV's development, a Small variant was considered. This would have featured the Delta II second stage, an optional Thiokol Star 48B third stage, and the Delta II payload fairing, all atop a single CBC. Thiokol (variously Thiokol Chemical Company, Morton-Thiokol Inc [8] The Small variant was dropped by 1999. [9][10] This was probably because the Delta II has a similar payload capability.

Future variants

Delta IV evolution (US Govt)
Delta IV evolution (US Govt)

Possible future upgrades for the Delta IV include adding extra strap-on solid motors to boost capacity, higher-thrust main engines, lighter materials, higher-thrust second stages, more (up to six) strap-on CBCs, and a cryogenic propellant cross feed from strap on boosters to the common core. These modifications could potentially increase the mass of the payload delivered to LEO to 100 tonnes. [6]

NASA originally had plans to use the Delta IV Heavy for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, the replacement for the Space Shuttle. The Crew Exploration Vehicle (or CEV) was the conceptual component of the Vision for Space Exploration that later became known as the Orion spacecraft But with the change of the CEV from a winged or lifting body spacecraft to an Apollo-like capsule and a new launch vehicle based on Space Shuttle components, the only component from the Delta IV that NASA would adopt is the RS-68 engine that would be used to power the new cryogenically-fueled Ares V rocket. The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation.

The possibility of an extra-heavy variant was indicated in a 2006 RAND Corporation study of national security launch requirements out to 2020,[11] which noted, ". . . only the Delta IV Heavy has the performance to lift the ten NSS launch requirements that require a heavy-lift capability. . . the production capacity for Delta IV, with one possible exception, can satisfy the entire projected NSS launch demand. The exception involves the requirement to increase the Delta IV Heavy lift capability to accommodate a single NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) payload. The National Reconnaissance Office ( NRO) located in Chantilly The best solution to this requirement is currently under study. "

Launch sites

First Delta IV Heavy with three CBCs prior to launch
First Delta IV Heavy with three CBCs prior to launch

Delta IV launches occur from either of two rocket launch sites. The Delta IV is a family of Delta Rockets designed by Boeing 's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in United Launch Alliance's A rocket launch site or launch complex is a facility at which Rocket launches are conducted On the East coast of the United States, Launch Complex 37 (LC-37) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station -- site of several unmanned Saturn I and -IB launches -- is used. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37 ( LC-37) is a launch complex at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield For the moon of Saturn see Mimas (moon. The Saturn I was the United States' first dedicated "space launcher" a rocket designed The Saturn IB was an uprated version of the Saturn I, which featured a much more powerful second stage the S-IVB. On the West coast, polar-orbit and high-inclination launches use Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) pad. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Space Launch Complex-6 ( SLC-6, nicknamed "Slick Six" at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was a launch pad and support area designed This pad was originally intended for the cancelled Air Force MOL space station, and later for polar orbit Space Shuttle flights, but neither were ever actually launched from SLC-6. The Manned Orbital Laboratory ( MOL) was part of the United States Air Force 's Manned spaceflight program a successor to the cancelled X-20 Dyna-Soar NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States

Launch facilities at both sites are similar. At the pad is a Mobile Service Tower (MST), which provides service access to the rocket and protection from the weather. There is a crane at the top of the MST, which allows the payload and GEM-60 solid motors to be attached to the vehicle. A crane is a lifting machine equipped with a Winder, Wire ropes or Chains and sheaves that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to The MST is rolled away from the rocket several hours before launch. At Vandenberg, the launch pad also has a Mobile Assembly Shelter (MAS), which completely encloses the vehicle; at CCAFS, the vehicle is partly exposed near its bottom.

Beside the vehicle is a Fixed Umbilical Tower (FUT), which has two (VAFB) or three (CCAFS) swing arms. These arms carry electrical, hydraulic, environmental control, and other support functions to the vehicle through umbilical lines. For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering The swing arms retract at T-0 seconds to prevent them from hitting the vehicle.

Under the vehicle is a Launch Table, with six Tail Service Masts (TSMs), two for each CBC. The Launch Table supports the vehicle on the pad, and the TSMs provide further support and fueling functions for the CBCs. The vehicle is mounted to the Launch Table by a Launch Mate Unit (LMU), which is attached to the vehicle by bolts that sever at launch. Behind the Launch Table is a Fixed Pad Erector (FPE), which uses two long-stroke hydraulic pistons to raise the vehicle to the vertical position after being rolled to the pad from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF). Beneath the Launch Table is a flame duct, which deflects the rocket's exhaust away from the rocket or facilities.

The Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) is situated some distance from the pad. It is a large building that allows the Delta IV CBCs and second stages to be mated and tested before they are moved to the pad.

Movement of the Delta IVs among the various facilities at the pad is facilitated by Elevating Platform Transporters (EPTs). These rubber-tired vehicles can be powered by either diesel engines or electric power. A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr Diesel EPTs are used for moving the vehicles from the HIF to the pad, while electric EPTs are used in the HIF, where precision of movement is important. [12]

Vehicle processing

Delta IV 4-Meter Second Stage
Delta IV 4-Meter Second Stage

The Delta IVs are assembled using a process that Boeing claims reduces cost and expensive on-pad time. The CBCs are built in Boeing's factory in Decatur, Alabama. They are then loaded onto the M/V Delta Mariner, a roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel, and shipped to either launch pad. See also Merchant ship Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro Ships are ferries designed to carry wheeled Cargo such as A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size There, they are offloaded and rolled into a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), where they are mated with the second stages, which were shipped separately to the pad on the Delta Mariner. A horizontal integration facility is a location within which the stages of a Multistage rocket are brought together before the assembled stack is rolled out to the launch Also, in the HIF, the three CBCs of Heavy variant are mated to each other.

Various tests are performed, and then the vehicle is rolled horizontally to the pad, where the Fixed Pad Erector (FPE) is used to raise the vehicle to the vertical position, inside the MST. At this time, the GEM-60 solid motors, if any are required, are rolled to the pad and attached to the vehicle. After further testing, the payload (which has already been enclosed in its fairing) is transported to the pad, hoisted into the MST by a crane, and attached to the vehicle. Finally, on launch day, the MST is rolled away from the vehicle, and the vehicle is ready for launch. [13]

Delta IV launches

For more details on this topic, see List of Delta IV launches. This page is a list of launches of the Delta IV rocket For more information as a whole see Delta IV rocket.
GOES-N launch on a Medium+ (4,2)
GOES-N launch on a Medium+ (4,2)

Notable past launches

The first payload launched with a Delta IV was the Eutelsat W5 communications satellite. Eutelsat SA is a French -based satellite provider Providing coverage over the entire European continent as well as the Middle East Africa India and significant The launch vehicle was a Medium+ (4,2) variant, launched from Cape Canaveral. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield It carried the communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on November 20, 2002. A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Heavy Demo was the first launch of the Heavy variant in Dec. 2004 after significant delays due to bad weather. Due to cavitation in the propellant lines, sensors registered depletion of propellant. Cavitation is defined as the phenomenon of formation of vapour bubbles of a flowing liquid in a region where the pressure of the liquid falls below its vapour pressure The strap-on, and later core CBC engines shut down prematurely, even though sufficient propellant remained to continue the burn as scheduled. The second stage attempted to compensate for the under-burn, until it ran out of propellant. This flight was a test launch carrying a payload consisting of:

A unique aerial view of NROL-22 launch from SLC-6 (USAF photo/Staff Sgt. Quinton Russ)
A unique aerial view of NROL-22 launch from SLC-6 (USAF photo/Staff Sgt. Quinton Russ)

NROL-22, a classified satellite for the U. S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), was launched aboard a Medium+ (4,2) in June 2006. The National Reconnaissance Office ( NRO) located in Chantilly This was the first Delta IV launched from SLC-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB).

Planned launches

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ United Launch Alliance Transaction completed
  2. ^ Delta IV GOES-N Launch Timeline
  3. ^ Delta IV Heavy Demo Launch Timeline
  4. ^ L-3 Space & Navigation's RIFCA Trihex
  5. ^ Delta IV may return to commercial launches
  6. ^ a b Delta Launch 310 -- Delta IV Heavy Demo Media Kit - Delta Growth Options. Boeing.
  7. ^ US Air Force - EELV Fact Sheets
  8. ^ Delta IV Small on Astronautix.com
  9. ^ Gunter's Space page - Delta IV
  10. ^ Boeing Signs agreement for Delta IV Integration Facility
  11. ^ National Security Space Launch Report
  12. ^ Delta IV Launch Facilities
  13. ^ Delta IV prelaunch assembly
  14. ^ Spaceflight Now | Delta 4-Heavy mission report
  15. ^ Justin Ray (2007-11-11). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Delta 4-Heavy rocket fires away from Cape Canaveral. Spaceflight Now (http://www.spaceflightnow.com). Retrieved on 2008-05-28. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling
  16. ^ Kennedy Space Center Launch Details - GOES O. KSC Visitor Complex.
  17. ^ Worldwide Launch Schedule, Spaceflightnow. com, accessed October 10, 2007. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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