Delta IV Launch

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Delta IV Launch of a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite

The Air Force Space Command press release is reproduced below:

Delta IV launch

Release Number: 011106

11/1/2006 - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. -- Vandenberg AFB is set to launch a Delta IV rocket carrying a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite from Space Launch Complex-6 Nov. 4. The launch will take place between 5:52 and 6:02 a.m.

Col. Terry Djuric, 30th Space Wing vice commander, is the spacelift commander, or final "go for launch" authority, for this mission. The 30th Space Wing is the Air Force Space Command organization responsible for all Department of Defense space and missile launch activities on the West Coast of the United States.

Source: Air Force Space Command press release

[Homerduff]

Well, maybe it was about time they took some initiatives..

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Well, maybe it was about time they took some initiatives..

I don't understand what you mean by this? It seems a rather pointless statement particularly in reference to the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, a programme dating back to the early 1960's and has involving well over 30 launches to date.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Boeing Delta IV Launches Critical Military Weather Satellite

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 04, 2006 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta IV rocket today carried a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch was the second West Coast mission completed for the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.

Liftoff of the Delta IV Medium occurred at 5:53 a.m. Pacific time from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6. The DMSP-17 payload was successfully deployed approximately 18 minutes later.

"The DMSP constellation has the critical job of providing specialized weather data to aid the U.S. military in planning operations at sea, on land and in the air," said Dan Collins, vice president of Boeing Launch Systems. "The Delta team is proud to contribute to this important capability for national defense with this first launch of a DMSP satellite aboard a Delta rocket."

This was the seventh Delta IV launch since the configuration began flying in November 2002 and the third of the Medium configuration. This was the first direct injection mission for Delta IV.

"With this second successful launch of a Delta IV from the West Coast this year, and the third Delta IV mission in 2006, we are seeing this new launch vehicle family being put through its paces and building a record of reliability," Collins added. "I'm very pleased with the vehicle performance and the dedication to mission success demonstrated by the Delta team."

The Delta IV for the DMSP-17 mission comprised a common booster core and first stage powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 engine. The second stage was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10B-2 engine with an extendible nozzle. A four-meter-diameter composite fairing topped the stack and encapsulated the payload.

SLC-6 is the West Coast launch site for the Boeing Delta IV family of launch vehicles that provides the Air Force the strategic capability to launch national security satellites to polar, Sun-synchronous and high-inclination orbits. It can support all five configurations of the Delta IV family.

Major suppliers for the Delta IV family are Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, Calif., for first and second stage engines; Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Minneapolis, Minn., for composite and propulsion technologies, and L-3 Communications Corp., New York, N.Y., for the guidance computer.

The next Delta launch will be of a GPS navigation satellite aboard a Delta II from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in mid-November.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.

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Source: Boeing press release Edited November 17, 2006 by Waspie_Dwarf

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Photo Credit: Thom Baur

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 04, 2006 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta IV rocket today carried a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch was the second West Coast mission completed for the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.

Liftoff of the Delta IV Medium occurred at 5:53 a.m. Pacific time from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6. The DMSP-17 payload was successfully deployed approximately 18 minutes later.

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Source: Boeing press release Edited November 5, 2006 by Waspie_Dwarf

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The US Air Force press release is reproduced below:

Delta IV launch successful

11/4/2006 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --A Delta IV evolved expendable launch vehicle carrying a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite was launched from the Space Launch Complex-6 here Nov. 4 at 5:53 a.m.

"I'm extremely proud of the precision with which the base and Vandenberg launch team planned and executed this Delta IV mission," said Col. Terry Djuric, the 30th Space Wing vice commander. "This west coast launch helped kick off the Air Force's yearlong 60th anniversary celebration."

Colonel Djuric served as the spacelift commander, or final "go for launch" authority, for this mission.

"With today's launch, Vandenberg has provided 100 percent assured access to space, successfully launching 17 DMSP satellites since the 1st DMSP satellite was launched in 1976," he said.

The 30th Space Wing is the Air Force Space Command organization responsible for Department of Defense space and missile launch activities on the West Coast of the United States.

The 4th Space Launch Squadron oversees Vandenberg's evolved expendable launch vehicle programs including the Delta IV. The squadron is responsible for launch base and launch vehicle mission assurance.

"From an operational perspective, this was another perfectly executed mission by the entire team," said Lt. Col. David Goldstein, the 4th SLS commander and launch director. "Vandenberg worked extremely well with our launch partners to bring everything together for that one perfect shot."

Source: Air Force press release

Edited November 5, 2006 by Waspie_Dwarf

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Delta IV rocket launch
A Delta IV rocket launches at 5:53 a.m. on Nov. 4 from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-6. The rocket carried a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite in to space. The satellite will transition into a polar earth orbit to provide weather forcasts for service members on battlefields around the world.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Joe Davila)

Source: Air Force press release