Launch News Delta IV Heavy with NROL-91 (final SLC-6 launch)

[GLS]

The final launch from the "cursed" launch pad.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1573649947106414593

https://twitter.com/x/status/1573675130034724867

https://twitter.com/x/status/1573724553091710982

After this, there will be only 2 Delta IV Heavy rockets left.

Live stream:

 

[jarmonik]

After this, there will be only 2 Delta IV Heavy rockets left.

Is a plan to retire it and let the Vulcan Centaur take over ? According to some information Vulcan should launch later this year but haven't found any launch date yet.

 

[DaveS]

Is a plan to retire it and let the Vulcan Centaur take over ? According to some information Vulcan should launch later this year but haven't found any launch date yet.

Yes, Vulcan-Centaur is ULA's future. Launch date currently is a bit uncertain due to not having the first two flight engines integrated with the first flight core yet. They're still undergoing their Acceptance Test Program (ATP) at Blue Origin's test site in Texas. VC will use SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the equatorial launches and SLC-3W at Vandenberg Space Force Base for polar orbit launches. The two Delta IV launch complexes, SLC-37B at CCSFS and SLC-6 and VSFB will be safed and secured and then handed back over to the Space Force who technically owns them.

 

[GLS]

About 30 minutes to launch, and the live stream is up.

 

[GLS]

T-2 minutes

 

[GLS]

T0, liftoff!

 

[GLS]

Side CBCs shutdown and separation.

 

[GLS]

Central CBC shutdown and separation, and RL-10 ignition!

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I stumbled across this thread randomly and connected to the video at T -10s terminal count. Nice timing

 

[llarian]

Delta IV Heavy is my favourite launcher. It always looks like it wants to blow up from launch to SRB seperation. Too bad there is only two more left.

 

[GLS]

Payload fairing separation.... and that's all for today.

 

[jarmonik]

Great launch there... everything worked fine.

 

[DaveS]

Delta IV Heavy is my favourite launcher. It always looks like it wants to blow up from launch to SRB seperation. Too bad there is only two more left.

Not SRBs, but LRBs. The side-boosters are copies of the main Common Booster Core (CBC). No solids whatsoever on the Delta IV Heavy. The side CBCs as well as the Center CBC and the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) all burn LH2/LOX.

 

[GLS]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1574792184519327746