Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
While ULA is deep into re-thinking on what should their next-generation launcher be named and talks of retiring the Delta IV medium variants in the next 5 years, they are still busy with launching thing into space! For the first time since the wildly successful Orion EFT-1 flight last December, the Delta IV is on pad for its next flight.
Today's launch will carry the 9th of 12 block IIF GPS satellites planned for replenishing the famous navigation satellite constellation. The new GPS satellite, numbered SVN71 (SVN = Space Vehicle Number), will head for plane B, slot 5 to replace GPS IIA-22 (SVN35, launched in August 1993) that has already been retired. Only 3 active satellites from the GPS Block II/IIA satellites that were launched in the 1990s to complete the GPS constellation remains today and they may all be withdrawn by the end of 2015.
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This is the 29th operational flight of the Delta IV rocket and the 13th to fly in the M+(4,2) configuration with 2 solid rocket boosters and the 4 meter diameter fairing & upper stage.
Viewing the Launch Live:
Mission Description:
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Launch Vehicle:
The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) consists of a single Delta IV common booster core (CBC), the Delta cryogenic second stage (DCSS), and two solid rocket motors (SRM). The CBC and the DCSS are connected by a composite cylindrical interstage adapter (ISA). The SRMs, 5 ft in diameter and 53 ft long and constructed of a graphite-epoxy composite, are connected to the booster by two ball-and-socket joints and structural thrusters.
The Delta IV booster tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts, and a composite center-body. Delta IV booster propulsion is provided by the RS-68 engine system. The RS-68 burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and delivers 663,000 lb of thrust at sea level. The booster’s cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation and helium-purged insulation blankets.
The Delta IV booster is controlled by the DCSS avionics system, which provides guidance, flight control, and vehicle sequencing functions during CBC and DCSS phases of flight. The boost phase of flight ends 6 seconds after main engine cutoff (MECO), when the separation charge in the interstage adapter is fired and 16 pneumatic actuators push the spent Delta IV CBC stage and the DCSS apart.
The DCSS stage propellant tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum ring forgings, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts and a composite inter-tank truss. The DCSS is also a cryogenic liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10B-2 engine that produces 24,750 lb of thrust. Like the CBC, the DCSS cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation, and helium-purged insulation blankets. An equipment shelf attached to the aft dome of the DCSS liquid oxygen tank provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics. The structural and electronic interfaces with the satellite are provided via the payload attach fitting (PAF). The GPS missions use a 4-m diameter payload fairing (PLF). The PLF is a composite bisector (two-piece shell) fairing. The vehicle’s height, with the 38.5-ft tall PLF, is approximately 206 ft.
Launch Sequence:
Launch Updates:
Weather forecast for Titusville, Florida on March 25, 2015 (3 p.m.)
Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 27C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h.
Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
3 PM|27°C|18°C|62%|20%|0%|65%|1019 hPa|16 km/h ENE|
Mostly Cloudy
Today's launch will carry the 9th of 12 block IIF GPS satellites planned for replenishing the famous navigation satellite constellation. The new GPS satellite, numbered SVN71 (SVN = Space Vehicle Number), will head for plane B, slot 5 to replace GPS IIA-22 (SVN35, launched in August 1993) that has already been retired. Only 3 active satellites from the GPS Block II/IIA satellites that were launched in the 1990s to complete the GPS constellation remains today and they may all be withdrawn by the end of 2015.
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Launch date:
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March 25, 2015
Launch time:
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18:36 - 18:54 UTC / 2:36 - 2:54 p.m. EDT / 11:36 - 11:54 a.m. PDT
Launch site:
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SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral AFB, Florida
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[highlight]L[eventtimer]2015-3-25 18:36:00;%c%%ddd%/%hh%:%mm%:%ss%[/eventtimer][/highlight]
This is the 29th operational flight of the Delta IV rocket and the 13th to fly in the M+(4,2) configuration with 2 solid rocket boosters and the 4 meter diameter fairing & upper stage.
Viewing the Launch Live:
on the ULA Web site.
Mission Description:
GPS satellites serve and protect our warfighters by providing navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. Civilian users around the world also use and depend on GPS for highly accurate time, location, and velocity information.
GPS IIF-9 is one of the next-generation GPS satellites, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased signals, and enhanced performance for users.
The new satellite will occupy the Plane B, Slot 5 location of the navigation network, replacing the GPS-2A-22 satellite in that slot. The old satellite (launched August 1993) will be permanently retired.
GPS IIF-9 is one of the next-generation GPS satellites, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased signals, and enhanced performance for users.
The new satellite will occupy the Plane B, Slot 5 location of the navigation network, replacing the GPS-2A-22 satellite in that slot. The old satellite (launched August 1993) will be permanently retired.
Mission Insignia
Launch Vehicle:
The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) consists of a single Delta IV common booster core (CBC), the Delta cryogenic second stage (DCSS), and two solid rocket motors (SRM). The CBC and the DCSS are connected by a composite cylindrical interstage adapter (ISA). The SRMs, 5 ft in diameter and 53 ft long and constructed of a graphite-epoxy composite, are connected to the booster by two ball-and-socket joints and structural thrusters.
The Delta IV booster tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts, and a composite center-body. Delta IV booster propulsion is provided by the RS-68 engine system. The RS-68 burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and delivers 663,000 lb of thrust at sea level. The booster’s cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation and helium-purged insulation blankets.
The Delta IV booster is controlled by the DCSS avionics system, which provides guidance, flight control, and vehicle sequencing functions during CBC and DCSS phases of flight. The boost phase of flight ends 6 seconds after main engine cutoff (MECO), when the separation charge in the interstage adapter is fired and 16 pneumatic actuators push the spent Delta IV CBC stage and the DCSS apart.
The DCSS stage propellant tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum ring forgings, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts and a composite inter-tank truss. The DCSS is also a cryogenic liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10B-2 engine that produces 24,750 lb of thrust. Like the CBC, the DCSS cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation, and helium-purged insulation blankets. An equipment shelf attached to the aft dome of the DCSS liquid oxygen tank provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics. The structural and electronic interfaces with the satellite are provided via the payload attach fitting (PAF). The GPS missions use a 4-m diameter payload fairing (PLF). The PLF is a composite bisector (two-piece shell) fairing. The vehicle’s height, with the 38.5-ft tall PLF, is approximately 206 ft.
Launch Sequence:
Launch Updates:
- Spaceflight Now's Mission Status Center
- United Launch Alliance Twitter
- ULA launch hotline - dial at: 1-877-852-4321
Weather forecast for Titusville, Florida on March 25, 2015 (3 p.m.)
Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 27C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h.
3 PM|27°C|18°C|62%|20%|0%|65%|1019 hPa|16 km/h ENE|
Apparently the year old question on the change of Delta IV GPS launches from SE to NE was related to the best trajectory to reach the orbital slot the GPS satellite will head for within 1 of the 6 GPS orbital planes. 
