Delta IV

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Wikipedia

Delta IV
Delta IV Medium launch carrying DSCS III-B6.
FunctionOrbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerUnited Launch Alliance
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchUS$164+ million[1]
Size
Height63–70.7 m (207–232 ft)
Diameter5.1 m (17 ft)
Mass249,500–733,400 kg (550,100–1,616,900 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Altitude407 km (253 mi)
Orbital inclination51.6°
Mass11,470–28,790 kg (25,290–63,470 lb)[2]
Payload to GTO
Mass4,440–14,220 kg (9,790–31,350 lb)
Associated rockets
FamilyDelta (rocket family)
Comparable
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites
Total launches
  •     Medium: 3
  •     M+ (4,2): 15
  •     M+ (5,2): 3
  •     M+ (5,4): 8
  •     Heavy: 16
Success(es)
44
  •     Medium: 3
  •     M+ (4,2): 15
  •     M+ (5,2): 3
  •     M+ (5,4): 8
  •     Heavy: 15
Partial failure(s)1 (Heavy Demo)
First flight
Last flight
Carries passengers or cargo
Boosters (Medium+) – GEM 60
No. boosters2[a] or 4[b]
Height13.2 m (518 in)
Diameter1.5 m (60 in)
Empty mass3,721 kg (8,203 lb)
Gross mass33,650 kg (74,185 lb)
Propellant mass29,698 kg (65,472 lb)
Maximum thrust879 kN (197,500 lbf)
Specific impulseSL: 245 s (2.40 km/s)
Burn time90.8 seconds
PropellantAP / HTPB / Al
First stage – CBC
Height40.8 m (134 ft)
Diameter5.1 m (17 ft)
Empty mass26,760 kg (59,000 lb)
Gross mass226,400 kg (499,100 lb)
Powered by1 × RS-68
Maximum thrustSL: 3,140 kN (705,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSL: 360 s (3.5 km/s)
vac: 412 s (4.04 km/s)
Burn time
  • 246 seconds (Medium core/Heavy booster)
  • 334 seconds (Heavy core)[2]
PropellantLH2 / LOX
Second stage – DCSS
Height12 m (39 ft)
Diameter
  • 4 m: 4 m (13 ft)
  • 5 m: 5.1 m (17 ft)
Empty mass
  • 4 m: 2,850 kg (6,280 lb)
  • 5 m: 3,490 kg (7,690 lb)
Gross mass
  • 4 m: 24,170 kg (53,290 lb)
  • 5 m: 30,710 kg (67,700 lb)
Powered by1 × RL10-B-2
Maximum thrust110 kN (25,000 lbf)
Specific impulse462 s (4.53 km/s)
Burn time
  • 4 m: 850 seconds
  • 5 m: 1,125 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

Delta IV was a group of five expendable launch systems in the Delta rocket family. It flew 45 missions from 2002 to 2024. Originally designed by Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, the Delta IV became a United Launch Alliance (ULA) product in 2006. The Delta IV was primarily a launch vehicle for military payloads for the United States Air Force (USAF), but was also used to launch a number of United States government non-military payloads and a single commercial satellite.

The Delta IV had two main versions, which allowed the family to cover a range of payload sizes and masses: Medium, which had four configurations, and Heavy. The final flight of a Medium configuration occurred in 2019. The final flight of Heavy was in April 2024.

Delta IV vehicles were built in the ULA facility in Decatur, Alabama.[5] Final assembly was completed at the launch site by ULA: at the horizontal integration facility for launches from SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral in Florida and in a similar facility for launches from SLC-6 at Vandenberg in California.

History

The latest evolutionary development of the Delta rocket family, the Delta IV was introduced to meet the requirements of the USAF's EELV program, now known as National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. While the Delta IV retains the name of the Delta family of rockets, major changes were incorporated, the most significant being the switch from kerosene to liquid hydrogen fuel with new tankage and a new engine required.[6][7]

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 Common Booster Core (CBC).[8] The Small variant was dropped by 1999.[9][10]

In 2002, the Delta IV was first launched, with the RS-68 becoming the first large liquid-propellant rocket engine designed in the United States since the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) in the 1970s.[11]

The L3 Technologies Redundant Inertial Flight Control Assembly (RIFCA) guidance system originally used on the Delta IV was common to that carried on the Delta II, although the software was different because of the differences between the Delta II and Delta IV. The RIFCA featured six ring laser gyroscopes and six accelerometers, to provide a higher degree of reliability.[12]

Boeing initially intended to market Delta IV commercial launch services. However, the Delta IV entered the space launch market when global capacity was already much higher than demand. Furthermore, as an unproven design it had difficulty finding a market in commercial launches, and Delta IV launch costs were higher than comparable vehicles of the same era. In 2003, Boeing pulled the Delta IV from the commercial market, citing low demand and high costs. In 2005, Boeing stated that it sought to return the Delta IV to commercial service.[13] Ultimately, with the exception of the first launch, which carried the Eutelsat W5 commercial communications satellite, all Delta IV launches were paid for by the US government.[14]

As of 2009, the USAF funded Delta IV EELV engineering, integration, and infrastructure work through contracts with Boeing Launch Services (BLS). On August 8, 2008, the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center increased the "cost plus award fee" contract with BLS for US$1.656 billion to extend the period of performance through the September 30, 2008 (FY09). In addition, a US$557.1 million option was added to cover FY10.[15]

In February 2010, naturalized citizen Dongfan Chung, an engineer working with Boeing, became the first person convicted under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. Chung passed on classified information on designs including the Delta IV rocket to China and was sentenced to 15 years.[16]

RS-68A booster engine upgrade

The possibility of a higher performance Delta IV was first proposed in a 2006 RAND Corporation study of national security launch requirements out to 2020. A single National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload required an increase in the lift capability of the Delta IV Heavy.[17] Lift capacity was increased by developing the higher-performance RS-68A engine,[18] which first flew on June 29, 2012.[19] ULA phased out the baseline RS-68 engine with the launch of Delta flight 371 on March 25, 2015. All following launches used the RS-68A,[20] and the engine's higher thrust allowed the use of a single standardized CBC design for all Delta IV Medium and M+ versions. This upgrade reduced cost and increased flexibility, since any standardized CBC could be configured for zero, two, or four solid-propellant rocket boosters. However, the new CBC led to a slight performance loss for most medium configurations.[21] The Delta IV Heavy required non-standard CBCs for the core and boosters.[22]

Version Fairing CBCs SRBs With original RS-68 After RS68A upgrade
Payload to LEO[23] Payload to GTO[24] Launches Payload to LEO[23] Payload to GTO[2] Launches
Medium 4 m 1 0 8,800 kg 4,540 kg 3 8,510 kg 4,440 kg 0
M+ (4,2) 4 m 1 2 11,920 kg 6,270 kg 13 12,000 kg 6,390 kg 2
M+ (5,2) 5 m 1 2 10,580 kg 5,430 kg 1 10,220 kg 5,490 kg 2
M+ (5,4) 5 m 1 4 13,450 kg 7,430 kg 4 12,820 kg 7,300 kg 4
Heavy 5 m 3 0 22,980 kg 13,400 kg 7 25,980 kg 14,220 kg 9

Masses include a Payload Attach Fitting (240 kg to 1,221 kg depending on payload).[2]

Proposed upgrades that were not implemented

Possible future upgrades for the Delta IV included adding extra strap-on solid motors, higher-thrust main engines, lighter materials, higher-thrust second stages, more (up to eight) strap-on CBCs, and a cryogenic propellant cross feed from strap on boosters to the common core.[25]

At one point, NASA planned to use Delta IV or Atlas V to launch the proposed Orbital Space Plane,[26] which eventually became the Crew Exploration Vehicle and then the Orion. Orion was intended to fly on the Ares I launch vehicle, then the Space Launch System after Ares I was cancelled.

In 2009, The Aerospace Corporation reported on NASA results of a study to determine the feasibility of modifying Delta IV to be crew-rated for use in NASA human spaceflight missions. According to Aviation Week & Space Technology the study, "found that a Delta IV heavy [...] could meet NASA's requirements for getting humans to low Earth orbit".[27]

A proposed upgrade to the Delta IV family was the addition of extra solid motors. The Medium+ (4,4) would have used existing mount points to pair the four GEM 60s of the M+ (5,4) with the upper stage and fairing of the (4,2). An M+ (4,4) would have had a GTO payload of 7,500 kg (16,500 lb), a LEO payload of 14,800 kg (32,600 lb), and could have been available within 36 months of the first order. It was also considered to add extra GEM 60s to the M+ (5,4), which would have required adding extra attachment points, structural changes to cope with the different flight loads, and launch pad and infrastructure changes. The Medium+ (5,6) and (5,8) would have flown with six and eight SRBs respectively, for a maximum of up to 9,200 kg (20,300 lb) to GTO with the M+ (5,8). The Medium+ (5,6) and (5,8) could have been available within 48 months of the first order.[28]

Retirement and replacement

ULA was formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Space, inheriting the Atlas rocket family from Lockheed Martin and the Delta rocket family from Boeing. The Atlas V offered better performance than the Delta IV Medium at a lower cost, and in March 2015 ULA announced plans to retire the Delta IV Medium by 2018.[29]

In 2014, ULA also began development of the Vulcan Centaur to replace both the Atlas and Delta families. The Vulcan’s first stage shares design heritage with the Delta IV’s Common Booster Core and is manufactured in the same Decatur, Alabama, facility using much of the same equipment, but with a diameter about 0.3 meters (1 ft) larger.[30]: 1–5  It is powered by two BE-4 methane-fueled engines developed by Blue Origin.[31][32] Compared with the liquid hydrogen used on the Delta IV, methane is denser and has a higher boiling point, allowing for smaller and lighter fuel tanks.[31][32]

A single-core Vulcan Centaur with six SRBs delivers heavy-lift capabilities comparable to the larger and more expensive three-core Delta IV Heavy. With this configuration, the Vulcan Centaur can lift 27,200 kilograms (60,000 lb) to low Earth orbit (LEO),[33] surpassing the Atlas V's maximum of 18,850 kg (41,560 lb)[34] and approaching the Delta IV Heavy's 28,790 kg (63,470 lb) capacity.[35]

The Vulcan Centaur was originally projected to enter service in 2023,[36][37] but its first launch took place on January 8, 2024.[38] The final Delta IV Medium launch (in a M+ 4,2 configuration) occurred on August 22, 2019, carrying a GPS III-2 satellite, USA-293,[39][40] and the final Delta IV Heavy launch was on April 9, 2024, with the NROL-70 mission.[41]

Delta IV Medium

The Delta IV Medium (also referred to as single stick)[42][43] was offered in four configurations: Medium, Medium+ (4,2), Medium+ (5,2), and Medium+ (5,4).[39]

The Delta IV Medium (Delta 9040) was the baseline configuration. It featured a single Common Booster Core (CBC) and a 4-meter (13 ft) Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS), derived from the Delta III design but with enlarged propellant tanks. Because the CBC was 5 meters (16 ft) in diameter, a tapered interstage was used to transition to the smaller second stage. The vehicle reused the Delta III payload fairing and was capable of placing 4,200 kilograms (9,300 lb) into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). From Cape Canaveral, GTO is 1,804 meters per second (5,920 ft/s) short of geostationary orbit (GEO). Performance figures exclude the mass of the payload fairing and payload attach fittings.[7]

The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) (Delta 9240) used the same CBC and 4-meter (13 ft) DCSS as the Medium, but added two Orbital ATK-built GEM 60 solid rocket boosters (SRBs), increasing payload capacity to GTO to 6,150 kilograms (13,560 lb).[7]

The Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) (Delta 9250) retained the two GEM 60 SRBs of the Medium+ (4,2), but used a larger 5-meter (16 ft) DCSS and a 5-meter (16 ft) payload fairing, allowing it to accommodate larger payloads.[44] Due to the added mass of the larger fairing and second stage, payload to GTO was reduced to 5,072 kilograms (11,182 lb).[7]

The Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) (Delta 9450) used the same 5-meter (16 ft) DCSS and payload fairing of the Medium+ (5,2), but used four GEM 60 SRBs instead of two, increasing payload capacity to GTO to 6,882 kilograms (15,172 lb).[7]

Delta IV Heavy

Delta IV Heavy launching

The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) combined a 5-meter (16 ft) Delta Cryogenic Second Stage with two additional Common Booster Cores (CBCs) strapped to the central core. The side CBCs separated earlier in flight than the center core. Starting in 2007, a longer composite fairing became standard, with optional aluminum isogrid or trisector fairings also available.[25][44] With the extended fairing, the vehicle stood over 203 feet (62 m).

Vehicle description

Delta IV evolution

Common Booster Core

Each Delta IV consists of at least one Common Booster Core (CBC). Each CBC was powered by one Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engine, which burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

On flights of the Medium, the RS-68 ran at 102% rated thrust for the first few minutes of flight, and then throttled down to 58% rated thrust before main engine cutoff.[45] On the Heavy, the main CBC's engine throttles down to 58% rated thrust around 50 seconds after liftoff, while the strap-on CBCs remain at 102%. This conserves propellant and allows the main CBC to burn after booster separation. After the strap-on CBCs separate, the main CBC's engine again throttles up to 102% before throttling back down to 58% prior to main engine cutoff.[46]

The RS-68 engine was mounted to the lower thrust structure of the CBC by a four-legged (quadrapod) thrust frame and enclosed in a protective composite conical thermal shield. Above the thrust structure was 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. Along the back of the CBC was a cable tunnel to hold electrical and signal lines, and a feedline to carry the liquid oxygen to the RS-68 from the tank. The CBC was of a constant 5 m (16 ft) diameter.[11]

Delta Cryogenic Second Stage

Delta IV 4-meter Cryogenic Second Stage

The upper stage of the Delta IV was the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS). The DCSS was based on the Delta III upper stage but has increased propellant capacity. Two versions have been produced: a 4 m (13 ft) diameter DCSS that was retired with the Delta IV Medium and a 5 m (16 ft) diameter DCSS that remains in service with the Delta IV Heavy. The 4 m diameter version lengthened both Delta III propellant tanks, while the 5-meter version has an extended diameter liquid hydrogen tank and a further lengthened liquid oxygen tank. Regardless of the diameter, each DCSS was powered by one RL10B-2 engine, with an extendable carbon-carbon nozzle to improve specific impulse.[47] Two different interstages were used to mate the first stage and DCSS. A tapering interstage that narrowed down from 5 m to 4 m diameter was used to mate the 4 m DCSS to the CBC, while a cylindrical interstage was used to mate the 5 m DCSS. Both interstages were built from composites and enclosed the liquid oxygen tank, with the larger liquid hydrogen tank making up part of the vehicle's outer mold line.[48][49]

Launch sites

First Delta IV Heavy with three CBCs prior to launch

Delta IV launched from either of two rocket launch complexes. Launches on the East coast of the United States used Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. On the West coast, polar-orbit and high-inclination launches used Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6).[50]

Launch facilities at both sites were similar. A Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) was situated some distance from the pad. Delta IV CBCs and second stages to be mated and tested in the HIF before they were moved to the pad.[50] The partial horizontal rocket assembly of the Delta IV was somewhat similar to the Soyuz launch vehicle, which is completely assembled horizontally. The Space Shuttles, the past Saturn launch vehicles, and the Space Launch System were assembled and rolled out to the launch pad entirely vertically.[citation needed]

Movement of the Delta IVs among the various facilities at the pad was facilitated by rubber-tired Elevating Platform Transporters (EPTs) and various transport jigs. Diesel engine EPTs were used for moving the vehicles from the HIF to the pad, while electric EPTs were used in the HIF, where precision of movement was important.[50]

The basic launchpad structure includes a flame trench to direct the engine plume away from the rocket, lightning protection, and propellant storage. In the case of Delta IV, the vehicle was completed on the launch pad inside a building. This Mobile Service Tower (MST) provides service access to the rocket and protection from the weather and was rolled away from the rocket on launch day. A crane at the top of the MST lifts the encapsulated payload to the vehicle and also attached the GEM 60 solid motors for Delta IV Medium launches. The MST was rolled away from the rocket several hours before launch. At Vandenberg, the launch pad also had a Mobile Assembly Shelter (MAS), which completely enclosed the vehicle; at CCAFS, the vehicle was partly exposed near its bottom.[50]

Beside the vehicle was a Fixed Umbilical Tower (FUT), which has two (VSFB) or three (CCAFS) swing arms. These arms carry telemetry signals, electrical power, hydraulic fluid, environmental control air flow, and other support functions to the vehicle through umbilical lines. The swing arms retract at T-0 seconds once the vehicle was committed to launch.[50]

Under the vehicle was 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 was mounted to the Launch Table by a Launch Mate Unit (LMU), which was attached to the vehicle by bolts that sever at launch. Behind the Launch Table was a Fixed Pad Erector (FPE), which used two long-stroke hydraulic pistons to raise the vehicle to the vertical position after being rolled to the pad from the HIF. Beneath the Launch Table was a flame duct, which deflects the rocket's exhaust away from the rocket or facilities.[50]

Vehicle processing

Delta IV CBCs and DCSSs were assembled at ULA's factory in Decatur, Alabama. They were then loaded onto the R/S RocketShip, a roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel, and shipped to either launch pad. There, they were offloaded and rolled into a HIF. For Delta IV Medium launches, the CBC and DCSS were mated in the HIF. For Delta IV Heavy launches, the port and starboard strap-on CBCs were also mated in the HIF.[51]

Various tests were performed, and then the vehicle was rolled horizontally to the pad, where the Fixed Pad Erector (FPE) was used to raise the vehicle to the vertical position. At this time, the GEM 60 solid motors, if any were required, were rolled to the pad and attached to the vehicle. After further testing, the payload (which has already been enclosed in its fairing) was transported to the pad, hoisted into the MST by a crane, and attached to the vehicle. Finally, on launch day, the MST was rolled away from the vehicle, and the vehicle was then ready for launch.[51]

Launch history

No. Date/Time
(UTC)		 Type Serial no. Start place Payload Payload type Orbit Outcome Remarks
1 November 20, 2002
22:39		 Medium+ (4,2) 293 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Eutelsat W5 Commercial communications satellite GTO Success First Delta IV launch.
2 2003-03-11
00:59		 Medium 296 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-167 (DSCS-3 A3) Military communications satellite GTO Success First Delta IV Medium launch.
First USAF EELV mission
3 2003-08-29
23:13		 Medium 301 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-170 (DSCS-3 B6) Military communications satellite GTO Success
4 2004-12-21
21:50		 Heavy 310 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B DemoSat[52] / 3CS-1 / 3CS-2 Demonstration payload GSO (planned) Partial failure
  • First Delta IV Heavy launch.
  • Premature cutoff of CBCs.
  • DemoSat reached incorrect orbit, 3 Corner Satellite (3CS) failed to reach orbit.[53][54]
5 2006-05-24
22:11		 Medium+ (4,2) 315 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B GOES 13 (GOES-N) Weather satellite GTO Success
6 2006-06-28
03:33		 Medium+ (4,2) 317 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-184 (NROL-22) Reconnaissance satellite Molniya Success First Delta IV launch from Vandenberg.[55]
7 2006-11-04
13:53		 Medium 320 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-192 (DMSP F17) Military weather satellite SSO Success First Delta IV launch into a LEO/SSO, last flight of Delta IV Medium.
8 2007-11-11
01:50		 Heavy 329 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-197 (DSP-23) Missile warning satellite GSO Success First Delta IV launch contracted by United Launch Alliance.
Launch delayed due to damage to launch pad caused by a liquid oxygen leak.[56]
9 2009-01-18
02:47[57][58]		 Heavy 337 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-202 (NROL-26) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[59]
10 2009-06-27
22:51[60]		 Medium+ (4,2) 342 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B GOES 14 (GOES-O) Weather satellite GTO Success[61]
11 2009-12-06
01:47[62]		 Medium+ (5,4) 346 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-211 (WGS-3) Military communications satellite GTO Success[62] First Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) launch.
12 2010-03-04
23:57		 Medium+ (4,2) 348 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B GOES 15 (GOES-P) Weather satellite GTO Success[63]
13 2010-05-28
03:00		 Medium+ (4,2) 349 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-213 (GPS IIF-1) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[64]
14 2010-11-21
22:58[57]		 Heavy 351 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-223 (NROL-32) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[65]
15 2011-01-20
21:10		 Heavy 352 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-224 (NROL-49) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[66] First Delta IV Heavy launch from Vandenberg.[66]
16 2011-03-11
23:38[57]		 Medium+ (4,2) 353 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-227 (NROL-27) Reconnaissance satellite GTO Success[67]
17 2011-07-16
06:41		 Medium+ (4,2) 355 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-232 (GPS IIF-2) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[68]
18 2012-01-20
00:38		 Medium+ (5,4) 358 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-233 (WGS-4) Military communications satellite GTO Success
19 2012-04-03
23:12		 Medium+ (5,2) 359 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-234 (NROL-25) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success First flight in the Medium+ (5,2) version.
20 2012-06-29
13:15		 Heavy 360 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-237 (NROL-15) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success First flight of the RS-68A engine.[19]
21 2012-10-04
12:10		 Medium+ (4,2) 361 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-239 (GPS IIF-3) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[69] Upper stage (DCSS) anomaly caused by fuel leak, payload still reached planned orbit.[70]
22 2013-05-25
00:27		 Medium+ (5,4) 362 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-243 (WGS-5) Military communications satellite GTO Success[71]
23 2013-08-08
00:29		 Medium+ (5,4) 363 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-244 (WGS-6) Military communications satellite GTO Success[72]
24 2013-08-28
18:03		 Heavy 364 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-245 (NROL-65) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[73]
25 2014-02-21
01:59		 Medium+ (4,2) 365 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-248 (GPS IIF-5) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[74]
26 2014-05-17
00:03		 Medium+ (4,2) 366 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-251 (GPS IIF-6) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[75]
27 2014-07-28
23:28		 Medium+ (4,2) 368 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B AFSPC-4 (GSSAP #1/2 and ANGELS) (USA-253/254/255) Space surveillance and technology demonstrator GEO Success[76] First use of secondary payload adapter on a Delta rocket.
28 2014-12-05
12:05		 Heavy 369 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Orion MPCV EFT-1 Uncrewed Capsule Test Flight MEO Success[77]
29 2015-03-25
18:36		 Medium+ (4,2) 371 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-260 (GPS IIF-9) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[78] Final launch with baseline RS-68 engine.[20]
30 2015-07-24
00:07		 Medium+ (5,4) 372 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-263 (WGS-7) Military communications satellite GTO Success[79]
31 2016-02-10
11:40		 Medium+ (5,2) 373 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-267 (NROL-45) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[80]
32 2016-06-11
17:51		 Heavy 374 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-268 (NROL-37) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[81][82]
33 2016-08-19
04:52		 Medium+ (4,2) 375 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B AFSPC-6 (GSSAP #3/4) (USA-270/271) Space surveillance GEO Success[83]
34 2016-12-07
23:53		 Medium+ (5,4) 376 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-272 (WGS-8) Military communications satellite GTO Success[84]
35 2017-03-19
00:18		 Medium+ (5,4) 377 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-275 (WGS-9) Military communications satellite GTO Success[85]
36 2018-01-12
22:11		 Medium+ (5,2) 379 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-281 (NROL-47) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[86] Final flight of Delta IV M+ (5,2) variant.
37 2018-08-12
07:31		 Heavy 380 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Parker Solar Probe Solar Probe Heliocentric Success First use of Delta IV Heavy with Star 48BV third stage (9255H).
38 2019-01-19
19:10		 Heavy 382 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA-290 (NROL-71) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success
39 2019-03-16
00:26		 Medium+ (5,4) 383 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-291 (WGS-10) Military communications satellite GTO Success Final flight of Delta IV M+ (5,4) variant.
40 2019-08-22
13:06		 Medium+ (4,2) 384 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-293 (GPS III-2) Navigation Satellite MEO Success[87] Final flight of the Delta IV Medium and the Delta IV M+ (4,2) variant.[87]
41 2020-12-11
01:09		 Heavy 385 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-311 (NROL-44) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[88]
42 2021-04-26
20:47		 Heavy 386 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA 314 (NROL-82) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[89]
43 2022-09-24
22:25		 Heavy 387 Vandenberg, SLC-6 USA 338 (NROL-91) Reconnaissance satellite LEO Success[90] Final flight of Delta IV from VSFB
44 2023-06-22
09:18		 Heavy 388 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-345 (NROL-68) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[91]
45 2024-04-09
16:53		 Heavy 389 Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B USA-353 (NROL-70) Reconnaissance satellite GSO Success[92] Final flight of the Delta IV rocket and of the whole Delta rocket family.

Delta family launches by decade

Delta IV launches by configuration

Notable launches

GOES-N launch on a Medium+ (4,2)
A unique aerial view of NROL-22 launch from SLC-6

The first payload launched with a Delta IV was the Eutelsat W5 communications satellite. A Medium+ (4,2) from Cape Canaveral carried the communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on November 20, 2002.[citation needed]

Heavy Demo was the first launch of the Delta IV Heavy in December 2004 after significant delays due to bad weather. Due to cavitation in the propellant lines, sensors on all three CBCs registered depletion of propellant. The strap-on CBCs and then 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 shutdown and burned until it ran out of propellant. This flight was a test launch carrying a payload of:

  • DemoSat  – 6020 kg; an aluminum cylinder filled with 60 brass rods  – planned to be carried to GEO; however due to the sensor faults, the satellite did not reach this orbit.
  • NanoSat-2, carried to low Earth orbit (LEO)  – a set of two very small satellites of 24 and 21 kg, nicknamed Sparky and Ralphie  – planned to orbit for one day. Given the under-burn, the two most likely did not reach a stable orbit.[93]

NROL-22 was the first Delta IV launched from SLC-6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). It was launched aboard a Medium+ (4,2) in June 2006 carrying a classified satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

DSP-23 was the first launch of a valuable payload aboard a Delta IV Heavy. This was also the first Delta IV launch contracted by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The main payload was the 23rd and final Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite, DSP-23. Launch from Cape Canaveral occurred on November 10, 2007.[94]

NROL-26 was the first Delta IV Heavy EELV launch for the NRO. USA 202, a classified reconnaissance satellite, lifted off January 18, 2009.[95]

NROL-32 was a Delta IV Heavy launch, carrying a satellite for NRO. The payload is speculated to be the largest satellite sent into space. After a delay from October 19, 2010, the rocket lifted off on November 21, 2010.[96]

NROL-49 lifted off from Vandenberg AFB on January 20, 2011.[57] It was the first Delta IV Heavy mission to be launched out of Vandenberg. This mission was for the NRO and its details are classified.[97]

On October 4, 2012, a Delta IV M+ (4,2) experienced an anomaly in the upper stage's RL10B-2 engine which resulted in lower than expected thrust. While the vehicle had sufficient fuel margins to successfully place the payload, a GPS Block IIF satellite USA-239, into its targeted orbit, investigation into the glitch delayed subsequent Delta IV launches and the next Atlas V launch (AV-034) due to commonality between the engines used on both vehicles' upper stages.[98] By December 2012, ULA had determined the cause of the anomaly to be a fuel leak (into the combustion chamber[99]), and Delta IV launches resumed in May 2013. After two more successful launches, further investigation led to the delay of Delta flight 365 with the GPS IIF-5 satellite.[100] Originally scheduled to launch in October 2013, the vehicle lifted off on February 21, 2014.[101]

A Delta IV Heavy launched the Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight, EFT-1, on December 5, 2014.[102] The launch was originally planned for December 4, 2014, but high winds and valve issues caused the launch to be rescheduled for December 5, 2014.[103]

On August 12, 2018, another Delta IV Heavy launched the Parker Solar Probe on a mission to explore or "touch" the outer corona of the Sun.[104]

The second GPS Block III satellite was launched with the final Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration rocket on August 22, 2019.[87]

The final flight from Vandenberg of the Delta IV Heavy launched the NROL-91 mission in September 2022.

The final flight from Cape Canaveral of the Delta IV Heavy and of the Delta rocket family took place in April 2024 carrying the NROL-70 mission.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Medium+ (4,2) and Medium+ (5,2)
  2. ↑ Medium+ (5,4)

References

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