NROL-44: Orion 10 (Mentor 8) – Delta IV-H [D-385] – Канаверал SLC-37B – 11.12.2020 01:09 UTC

Автор zandr, 16.01.2020 21:19:34

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zandr

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/52903/
ЦитироватьЗавершены испытания топливных баков
 Как сообщает SpaceFlightNow, в минувшую пятницу на мысе Канаверал специалисты компании United Launch Alliance завершили испытания топливных баков РН Delta-4 Heavy, предназначенной для запуска в июне нынешнего года. Заключительные стендовые испытания включали в себя заправку баков компонентами топлива, но без зажигания. В ходе своей миссии носитель должен вывести на орбиту груз Национального разведывательного управления.
А.Ж.

tnt22

"Ну раз пошла такая пь..а - тады держите мя семеро" - танцуем. (Жаль - не от печки...)

https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2019/11/15/delta-iv-heavy-rolls-out-to-the-pad-for-nrol-44
ЦитироватьDelta IV Heavy rolls out to the pad for NROL-44
Nov 15, 2019, 09:28 AM

United Launch Alliance's next triple-core Delta IV Heavy, America's workhorse heavy-lift rocket for national security space missions, is standing tall on its Cape Canaveral launch pad.



The 170-foot-long rocket was rolled from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to Space Launch Complex-37 on Thursday, Nov. 14, riding a 36-wheel, diesel-powered transporter down the road and up the ramp to the launch pad.

The Fixed Pad Erector raised the vehicle upright this morning to complete the Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS) milestone for Delta IV Heavy to conduct the NROL-44 mission next year for the National Reconnaissance Office. 

The three common booster cores and the upper stage recently were assembled at the HIF. The port and starboard boosters were connected to the center core, then the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage was attached to the interstage on the forward end of the center booster.

Also completed in the HIF was attachment of the Launch Mate Unit (LMU), which serves as the structural base that the rocket stands atop on the pad's launch table. The LMU contains the 12 holddown bolts that fire to release the 1.6-million-pound rocket at liftoff.



System testing is planned over the next month. The team will resume preps for launch later in 2020, including vertically integrating the payload onto the rocket at the pad to produce a 235-foot-tall Delta IV Heavy for flight. 

This will be the 12th Delta IV Heavy rocket launch and the 8th for the NRO. 

More photos can be seen in our Flickr album!

tnt22

И - таки да, у нас с собой было!..

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/11/17/ula-kicks-off-next-delta-4-heavy-launch-campaign/
ЦитироватьULA kicks off next Delta 4-Heavy launch campaign
November 17, 2019 | Stephen Clark


A hydraulic erector raised United Launch Alliance's next Delta 4-Heavy rocket vertical at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Friday. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The next Delta 4-Heavy rocket was raised vertical Friday at Cape Canaveral, signaling the start of a comprehensive series of pre-flight tests before liftoff next year with a top secret U.S. government spy satellite.

The triple-core rocket rolled out to Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, riding a 36-wheel, diesel-powered transporter to the pad fr om United Launch Alliance's nearby Horizontal Integration Facility, ULA said in an upd ate posted on its website.

ULA's ground team assembled the Delta 4-Heavy rocket inside the Horizontal Integration Facility. The Delta 4-Heavy is the most powerful rocket currently in ULA's fleet, with three first stage boosters bolted together, each powered by a hydrogen-fueled Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A main engine.

According to ULA, teams inside the HIF connected the Delta 4-Heavy's three common booster cores, then installed the rocket's upper stage to the forward end of the core stage. Workers also added the Launch Mate Unit, a structure at the base of the rocket that includes 12 hold-down bolts. Pyrotechnic charges fire to release the bolts at liftoff, allowing the Delta 4-Heavy to climb away from the launch pad.


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The Delta 4-Heavy is se t to launch a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency which develops and owns the U.S. government's intelligence-gathering spy satellites. The identify of the payload is top secret, and the mission is officially codenamed NROL-44.

The payload aboard the NROL-44 mission is likely heading for a high-altitude perch in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth, wh ere the NRO operates surveillance satellites capable of eavesdropping on foreign communication signals.

If the NROL-44 payload is similar to previous NRO spy satellites launched into similar geosynchronous orbits, the Delta 4-Heavy rocket will deliver its spacecraft passenger directly to a circular orbit some 22,300 miles in altitude, a lofty orbit that typically requires three firings by the Delta 4's upper stage RL10 engine.

ULA is building five more Delta 4-Heavy rockets for launches through 2023, all carrying payloads for the NRO that military officials say are unable to launch into their targeted orbits on any other rocket that is currently operational. Many of the NRO's satellites are heavy and large — comparable to the size of a school bus — and are designed to be integrated with their rockets in a vertical configuration, rather than horizontally.


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The launcher for the NROL-44 mission was raised vertical on its launch mount Friday. Teams positioned the rocket inside pad 37's mobile gantry tower to prepare for a series of systems tests before the end of the year.

The Delta 4 team also plans to perform a wet dress rehearsal, during which ULA's launch team will practice countdown procedures and fill the rocket's cryogenic propellant tanks, then halt the launch sequence before engine ignition. The Delta 4's tanks will then be drained, and the rocket will be readied to receive its top secret spy payload next year.

The NROL-44 mission is scheduled for launch in June, marking the 12th flight of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket since 2004, and the 41st Delta 4 mission overall.

The arrival of Delta 4-Heavy at pad 37 comes less than three months after ULA launched the final medium-lift Delta 4 variant Aug. 22. That mission signaled the retirement of the "single stick" Delta 4 rocket as the company focuses on flying the less expensive Atlas 5 launcher and developing the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.

ULA plans another Delta 4-Heavy launch next September from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, also hauling a classified NRO payload into orbit. Once teams complete testing on the Delta 4-Heavy at Cape Canaveral, ULA will ready the Delta 4-Heavy at Vandenberg for its mission at Space Launch Complex 6.

Additional photos of the Delta 4-Heavy's rollout to pad 37 are posted below.

ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance


ULA crews transferred the Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Complex 37 launch pad Thursday, Nov. 14. Credit: United Launch Alliance


A hydraulic erector raised United Launch Alliance's next Delta 4-Heavy rocket vertical at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Friday, Nov. 15. Credit: United Launch Alliance


A hydraulic erector raised United Launch Alliance's next Delta 4-Heavy rocket vertical at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Friday, Nov. 15. Credit: United Launch Alliance


A hydraulic erector raised United Launch Alliance's next Delta 4-Heavy rocket vertical at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Friday, Nov. 15. Credit: United Launch Alliance


A hydraulic erector raised United Launch Alliance's next Delta 4-Heavy rocket vertical at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Friday, Nov. 15. Credit: United Launch Alliance
[свернуть]

tnt22

https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/01/11/delta-iv-heavy-completes-countdown-rehearsal
ЦитироватьDelta IV Heavy completes countdown rehearsal
Jan 11, 2020, 07:40 AM

The Delta IV Heavy rocket that will perform the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office was successfully put through its countdown paces in a critical pre-flight test Friday, Jan. 10.



Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, the day fully demonstrated the intricate day-of-launch countdown activities for the national security mission coming up later this year.

Operations began by rolling back the Mobile Service Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex-37, then configuring the site and preparing for fueling.

ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney and his team of console operators orchestrated the countdown from the Delta Operations Center located about one-and-a-half miles from the pad.

All eight cryogenic tanks aboard the rocket -- four liquid hydrogen and four liquid oxygen tanks in the three Common Booster Cores and the upper stage -- were filled to check systems both on the launch vehicle and in ground support equipment.

ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri authorized the launch team to enter terminal count at T-minus 4 minutes. That final phase of the countdown progressed smoothly to the pre-planned cutoff at T-minus 10 seconds.

The rocket was safed and cryogenic tanks drained to conclude the test. WDRs are milestones meant to mitigate any issues before the actual launch day arrives.

The rocket was rolled out to the pad on Nov. 14 and vertical on Nov. 15. Vehicle testing was accomplished prior to the Atlas V Starliner launch in December.

Teams will complete the post-WDR securing in a few days. Preps on the Delta IV Heavy will then be paused until closer to the scheduled launch date.

tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/11/ula-completes-fueling-test-on-next-delta-4-heavy-rocket/
ЦитироватьULA completes fueling test on next Delta 4-Heavy rocket
January 11, 2020 | Stephen Clark


A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket stands at pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a wet dress rehearsal. Credit: Dane Drefke / United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance engineers filled a Delta 4-Heavy rocket with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants Friday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a practice countdown before the heavy-lifter's scheduled liftoff in June with a top secret U.S. government spy satellite.

The countdown rehearsal Friday is known as a wet dress rehearsal. The mock countdown provided an opportunity for ULA's launch team to practice launch day procedures and verify the Delta 4-Heavy's readiness for flight, reducing chances of a problem cropping up during the real countdown.

About 465,000 gallons (nearly 1.8 million liters) of cryogenic propellants were loaded into the launcher during Friday's mock countdown, starting with 330,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen for the Delta 4-Heavy's three Common Booster Cores.

Another 120,000 gallons of liquid oxygen also flowed into the Common Booster Cores. An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A main engine at the base of each booster will consume the hydrogen/oxygen propellant mixture in flight.

The Delta 4's second stage, powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine, was also loaded with a smaller amount of cryogenic propellant Friday.

The liquid hydrogen is stored at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, while the liquid oxygen is chilled to minus 298 degrees Fahrenheit.

Working fr om the Delta Operations Center near the Delta 4 launch pad, ULA's launch team ran through pre-launch procedures before cutting off the countdown before the time the boosters' RS-68A engines would ignite on launch day. The Delta 4-Heavy was then drained of propellant.

The wet dress rehearsal Friday came around two months after ULA ground teams erected the Delta 4-Heavy rocket — the most powerful vehicle in ULA's inventory — on the launch mount at pad 37 in November.

The Delta 4-Heavy is set to launch a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency which develops and owns the U.S. government's intelligence-gathering spy satellites. The identify of the payload is top secret, and the mission is officially codenamed NROL-44.

The payload aboard the NROL-44 mission is likely heading for a high-altitude perch in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth, wh ere the NRO operates surveillance satellites capable of eavesdropping on foreign communication signals.

If the NROL-44 payload is similar to previous NRO spy satellites launched into similar geosynchronous orbits, the Delta 4-Heavy rocket will deliver its spacecraft passenger directly to a circular orbit some 22,300 miles in altitude, a lofty orbit that typically requires three firings by the Delta 4's upper stage RL10 engine.

Liftoff of the NROL-44 mission from pad 37 is scheduled for June. It will mark the 12th flight a Delta 4-Heavy rocket since 2004.

ULA has five more Delta 4-Heavy missions its manifest through 2023, all carrying payloads for the NRO that military officials say are unable to launch into their targeted orbits on any other rocket that is currently operational. Many of the NRO's satellites are heavy and large — comparable to the size of a school bus — and are designed to be integrated with their rockets in a vertical configuration, rather than horizontally.

The final launch of a Delta 4 rocket in its "medium" configuration with a single first stage booster occurred in August 2019.

With the completion of the wet dress rehearsal Friday, ULA says the launch team will complete post-test securing on the Delta 4-Heavy rocket then "pause" activities at pad 37 until closer to the launch date later this year.

One of the final major tasks before liftoff will be the raising of the NROL-44 payload and its payload fairing atop the Delta 4-Heavy a few weeks before liftoff.

Ground crews from ULA will be busy with other missions during the coming months, including a series of up to four Atlas 5 launches planned through mid-2020 from Cape Canaveral.

Preparations to stack another Delta 4-Heavy rocket on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base are also expected to commence in the first half of this year, ahead of its planned liftoff with another NRO spy satellite payload in late 2020.

zandr

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/54436/
ЦитироватьОтложен запуск РН Delta-4 Heavy
Запуск секретного спутника ракетой-носителем Delta 4 Heavy отложен на два месяца, сообщает SpaceFlightNow. Ракета должна была стартовать с мыса Канаверал в июне с миссией NROL-44 для Национального разведывательного управления, но Космические Силы заявили на прошлой неделе, что запуск был перенесен на 26 августа. Космические Силы не дали никаких объяснений этой задержке.
А.Ж.

tnt22

#6
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-44

ЦитироватьDELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-44



Rocket: Delta IV Heavy
Mission: NROL-44
Launch Date: Aug. 2020
Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Information: A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Launch Notes: This will be 141st mission for United Launch Alliance and our 29th for the NRO. It is the 385th Delta launch since 1960, the 12th Delta IV Heavy and the 8th Heavy for the NRO.

tnt22

Цитировать John Kraus @johnkrausphotos 23 июл.

This morning: Up close and personal with United Launch Alliance's majestic Delta IV Heavy rocket, which is scheduled to launch the NROL-44 mission in August.




23 июл.

We heard from Tony Taliancich, ULA's Director and General Manager of Launch Operations, who spoke about the power of the Delta IV Heavy, the importance of national reconnaissance payloads like NROL-44, and launching rockets amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.


tnt22

https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/08/06/nrol-44-payload-integrated-to-delta-iv-heavy-rocket

ЦитироватьNROL-44: Payload integrated to Delta IV Heavy rocket
Aug 6, 2020, 12:18 PM

ULA is preparing for our next mission, the launch of a Delta IV Heavy rocket for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 26.
The encapsulated NROL-44 payload was delivered to Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) on the morning of July 27 and mounted atop the rocket. Technicians used the gantry crane to lift the payload through the hoistway on the Mobile Service Tower (MST) and position it for connection to the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS).


The NROL-44 payload is fitted atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket. Photo by United Launch Alliance

See our Flickr album for high-resolution photos of the Delta IV Heavy rocket being readied for NROL-44.

The fully assembled Delta IV Heavy rocket stands 235 feet (72 meters) tall and will weigh 1.6 million pounds (725,750 kg) once fueled during the countdown to liftoff.

"The Heavy serves the nation's high-priority U.S. Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office space programs with distinction as America's proven heavy-lifter," said Tony Taliancich, ULA's launch operations director and general manager.

"The vehicle also launched NASA's Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to become the fastest robot in history."

Making best use of resources and managing the workforce's scheduling, ULA got an early jump on preparing for NROL-44 by placing the rocket on the pad at the end of last year and completing checkout activities up through the countdown rehearsal test.

Launch pad work to ready this rocket began Nov. 14 when it was rolled out from the Horizontal Integration Facility, where the three common booster cores and DCSS were attached together. The rocket was hydraulically lifted upright on the launch pad Nov. 15.

Standard testing of the rocket's systems was conducted and a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) to practice day-of-launch operations that included fueling all three boosters and upper stage was performed on Jan. 10.

After the WDR was completed, the Delta IV Heavy was drained of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, safed and powered off for several months. The rocket remained secure within the protective MST gantry.

Launch is scheduled for Aug. 26 during an unclassified launch period of 1:50 to 6:25 a.m. EDT (0550-1025 UTC). A live webcast and countdown status blog will be available on launch day at: http://bit.ly/div_nrol44.

This will be the 141st ULA mission since the company was formed and our eighth Delta IV Heavy rocket launch for the NRO.

"We're very excited to support National Security by launching the NROL-44 mission for the NRO," Taliancich said.

tnt22

https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-44

Цитировать• Mission: NROL-44

• Launch Date: Aug. 26, with a launch time of 2:16 a.m. EDT
26 августа 2020 г. в 06:16 UTC / 09:16 ДМВ
Пусковое окно без изменений.

tnt22

Цитировать Nathan Barker @NASA_Nerd 2 ч. назад

A busy launch schedule ahead as two Eastern Range Op notices are issued for upcoming space launch operations from the Cape.

Aug 26th ULA Delta IV Heavy with NROL-44 and Aug 27th SpaceX Falcon 9 with the highly anticipated  SAOCOM-1B.

Изображение
Источник, стр 5, 6

tnt22

Цитировать Flight Club @flightclubio 1 ч. назад

Thank you to @NASA_Nerd and @SethKurk for bringing the hazard zones for #NROL44 to my attention; now we know the launch azimuth!

If you're using my Launch Photography Toolkit, you should thank these two guys right now 😁


Before 👇
Изображение

After 👇
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tnt22

Цитировать ULA @ulalaunch 25 мин. назад

LAUNCH ALERT! The #DeltaIVHeavy rocket will launch the #NROL44 mission for @NatReconOfc and national defense next Wed., Aug. 26 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Liftoff time at 2:16amEDT (0616 UTC).

Live blog and webcast: http://bit.ly/div_nrol44


tnt22


tnt22

Цитировать Emre Kelly @EmreKelly 1 ч. назад

Well, next week won't lack excitement.

– Wednesday @ 0216 ET: ULA Delta IV Heavy liftoff from LC-37 with NROL-44.

– ...

But...

Depression 13 is out there. Happy Friday.

Изображение
Изображение

tnt22

Пока прогноз обнадёживает - тропический шторм Лаура (бывшая тропическая депрессия #13) смещается западнее центральной Флориды...

Цитата: undefined Chris G - NSF @ChrisG_NSF 1 ч. назад

Well this is at least good news for Central Florida and the wonderfully awesome launch cadence planned end of the week. But everyone in that cone of uncertainty should definitely take note and watch. Restock supplies if needed, but no reason to panic.


tnt22

Полигон открыт для работ с РН Delta-IV H


Цитировать
Launch Vehicle: Delta IV Heavy
Date: August 26, 2020
Eastern Range Opens: 2:16 a.m.
Launch Hazard Area
Airspace Closure Area

tnt22

Цитировать NRO @NatReconOfc 1 ч. назад

Check out our "Anatomy of a Launch Patch" to learn more about the mission patch for #NROL44, which is scheduled to launch next Wednesday, August 26 at 2:16 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station #WolfPacksAreAlwaysCool #rocketlaunch


tnt22


tnt22

Прогноз погоды L-4 на 26 августа 2020 г. (UTC)

Delta IV Heavy L-44 L-4 Forecast

ЦитироватьПусковой день  (26.08) - 70 % GO
Резервный день (27.08) - 80 % GO