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

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:03

GO for Launch!

The ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri has confirmed that the Delta IV Heavy rocket is ready to fly and NRO Mission Director Col. Chad Davis has given final permission to launch. That concurrence was made following a readiness poll of the launch team by Launch Conductor Scott Barney that verified all systems are "go."

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:04

This is Delta Launch Control at T-minus 4 minutes and holding with less than a minute remaining in this built-in hold.

The launch pad swing arm lock pins have retracted. All steps are complete prior to terminal count.

[tnt22]

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:05

Countdown Resumes

T-minus 4 minutes and counting. The final phase of today's countdown is underway at Cape Canaveral to launch the Delta IV Heavy rocket on NROL-44. The countdown clocks have resumed, leading us straight to liftoff.

Over the next minute, the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage liquid oxygen tank will be secured at flight level, replenishment of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the three common core boosters will be secured in preparation to pressurize the tanks for launch and the ground pyrotechnics will be enabled.

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:06


T-minus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. We remain GO for liftoff of the Delta IV Heavy and the flight of Delta 385.

The liquid oxygen tanks in the three common booster cores are been confirmed at the proper level and pressure for flight. The liquid hydrogen tanks will achieve this status less than a minute from now.

The liquid hydrogen system on the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage will be secured starting at T-minus 80 seconds.

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:07

T-minus 1 minutes, 55 seconds. The launch sequencer has been started. It will perform independent verifications of systems for the rest of the countdown, control the firing of hydrogen burnoff igniters under the engines, detachment of umbilicals from the vehicle and release the rocket from the pad at liftoff.

The Delta IV Heavy rocket has switched from ground-fed power to internal batteries. Shortly, ordnance devices aboard the vehicle will be armed. The flight software on the vehicle will go active at T-minus 80 seconds.

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:08

T-minus 55 seconds and counting. Computers have verified that the three RS-68A main engines are ready for ignition and the Space Force's Eastern Range at the Cape has confirmed its "green" condition for launch.

Coming up at T-minus 30 seconds, a final status check will be announced on Delta and NROL-44 readiness, followed by the vehicle going inertial, the residual hydrogen burnoff sparklers firing beneath the main engines, the Terminal Countdown Sequencer Rack going active and the staggered ignitions of the main engines starting at T-minus 7 seconds with the starboard booster and T-minus 5 seconds for the center and port boosters. The 12 holddown bolts will fire to release the vehicle for liftoff at T-0 and the swing arms on the launch pad will pull back.

[tnt22]

Flight SEQUENCE
Hr:Mn:Sc	Event	EыT	UTC	ДМВ
00:00:05	RS-68A Engine Ignition	20:08:55	01:08:55	04:08:55
00:00:00	Liftoff (Thrust to Weight > 1)	20:09:00	01:09:00	04:09:00
00:00:09	Begin Pitch/Yaw Maneuver	20:09:09	01:09:09	04:09:09
00:01:18	Mach 1	20:10:18	01:10:18	04:10:18
00:01:20	Maximum Dynamic Pressure	20:10:20	01:10:20	04:10:20
00:03:56	Port and Starboard Booster Engine Cutoff	20:12:56	01:12:56	04:12:56
00:03:58	Port and Starboard Booster Jettison	20:12:58	01:12:58	04:12:58
00:05:36	Booster Engine Cutoff (BECO)	20:14:36	01:14:36	04:14:36
00:05:43	First Stage Separation	20:14:43	01:14:43	04:14:43
00:05:56	Main Engine Start (MES-1)	20:14:56	01:14:56	04:14:56
00:06:38	Payload Fairing Jettison	20:15:38	01:15:38	04:15:38
	All Times Are Approximate

[tnt22]

Зажигание!

[tnt22]

Пуск!!!

Dec 11, 2020 04:09

LIFTOFF!

Three good engines up and running! And liftoff of the Delta IV Heavy rocket on United Launch Alliance's 30th mission for the National Reconnaissance Office! And the vehicle has cleared the tower!

 Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 15 мин. назад

LAUNCH! ULA Delta IV-Heavy finally launches with NROL-44 from SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral!

(0:25)

[tnt22]

Звуковой барьер

Dec 11, 2020 04:10

T+plus 85 seconds. The Delta IV Heavy rocket has broken through the sound barrier to go transonic and also passed the period of maximum aerodynamic stresses in the lower atmosphere.

[tnt22]

MaxQ

12/11/2020 04:10 Stephen Clark

T+plus 90 seconds. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket is soaring through the speed of sound, and has reached the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the launch vehicle, also known as Max-Q.

[tnt22]

Выкл ДУ боковых ускорителей

12/11/2020 04:13 Stephen Clark

T+plus 4 minutes, 5 seconds. The RS-68A main engines on the port and starboard boosters have shut down, and the boosters have jettisoned as planned. The center Common Booster Core will soon power up to full throttle after spending most of the first few minutes of the flight in a partial thrust mode to save fuel.

[tnt22]

Отделение боковых ускорителей

Dec 11, 2020 04:13

Outer Booster Separation

T+plus 4 minutes, 15 seconds. Separation of the port and starboard boosters is confirmed, and the center core has throttled up to its full power mode to consume the fuel that has been conserved by burning at lower thrust for the past four minutes. The rocket will nearly double its velocity in this phase of flight.

 Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 15 мин. назад

There go the side boosters (cores in their own right). Center core continuing uphill.

(0:18)

[tnt22]

Выкл ДУ 1-й ст РН

[tnt22]

Отделение 1-й ст РН

[tnt22]

Вкл ДУ 2-й ст РН

Dec 11, 2020 04:15

Staging

T+plus 6 minutes, 5 seconds. A successful staging and start of the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage is confirmed.

The center core completed its burn and then separated, allowing the RL10B-2 engine to deploy its nozzle and ignite.

[tnt22]

Сброс ГО

Dec 11, 2020 04:15

Payload Fairing Jettison

T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. The tri-sector aluminum payload fairing that protected NROL-44 during ascent through the atmosphere has been jettisoned now that the rocket has ascended above the edge of space.

Delta IV Heavy is traveling more than 15,000 mph and now weighs just five percent of its liftoff mass.

[tnt22]

Dec 11, 2020 04:18

To Recap
At the request of our customer, this will conclude our live coverage of today's countdown and liftoff of the Delta IV Heavy rocket on NROL-44 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

To recap, the United launch Alliance rocket departed Space Launch Complex-37 at 8:09 p.m. EST on its mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The outer boosters separated about four minutes into flight, followed by staging and ignition of the second stage two minutes later.

The eight-and-a-half-hour countdown started at 9:45 a.m. EST under the guidance of ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney. Retraction of the Mobile Service Tower began at 10:32 a.m., final configuring of the pad then followed and was cleared of all personnel. The "go" for fueling was given by ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri at 3:33 p.m. Tanking operations were successfully performed as 470,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were placed into the rocket's eight tanks.

The clear to launch was given at 8:03 p.m. EST by NRO Mission Director Col. Chad Davis, who serves as the director of the NRO's Office of Space Launch.

[tnt22]

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