LIVE: Delta IV Heavy - NROL-15 - June 29, 2012

[sdsds]

the less char was not for time on pad, as the char happens before release.

The ignition of the gaseous H2 cloud occurs before the ascent begins, but during at least one launch it appeared as though the vehicle was smoldering as it cleared the pad. (Maybe that launch was from Vandenberg, though? The pad design there is different.... So maybe this is comparing apples and oranges.)

[russianhalo117]

The RS-68A engines were specifically developed for this mission

Now that is very interesting. Begs, the question, we will get to see them fly again right?

on every vehicle for 2015 and on

On every Heavy from now on, or only from 2014 for Heavies too?

As I understand it Jim is indeed correct. I believe Jim is referring to the 2015 implementation of the Delta-IV Fleet Standardization Program where their will only be single variant of the CBC (merges all of the current CBC variants of Delta IV into one) where as the medium configurations will still be in existence, but with RS-68A used across the board on all medium and heavy configurations. This thread http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=28771.0 on the Delta IV discusses the upcoming upgrades and contains details regarding this matter (Image from above mentioned thread about the Delta-IV Fleet Standardization Program).

[Prober]

That's a beautiful rocket -- Congratulations ULA!

Yes, now im seaching for the long version video

[baldusi]

The RS-68A engines were specifically developed for this mission

Now that is very interesting. Begs, the question, we will get to see them fly again right?

on every vehicle for 2015 and on

On every Heavy from now on, or only from 2014 for Heavies too?

As I understand it Jim is indeed correct. I believe Jim is referring to the 2015 implementation of the Delta-IV Fleet Standardization Program where their will only be single variant of the CBC (merges all of the current CBC variants of Delta IV into one) where as the medium configurations will still be in existence, but with RS-68A used across the board on all medium and heavy configurations. Somewhere in this thread (?) their are a few posts with details regarding this matter.

I already know that. In fact, the Fleet Standardization Program is supposed to reach CDR in October. But that's because that would allow to use the same core for every Medium/+. The problem, is that each current core is so optimized, that can only take the RS-68A @ 102% without reinforcements. So, it's only natural that they wait until the true common core for the Medium. But the Heavy can take it straight, and, as we have just seen, it's fully developed and demonstrated. Thus, my question was about the next few Heavies in particular.

[catdlr]

[Delta] Alternate Launch Views of Delta IV Heavy with NROL-15 Payload

Published on Jun 29, 2012 by SpaceVidsNet
The heaviest rocket currently available blasted off today June 29th at 13:15 UTC carrying the NROL-15 top secret payload.

The launch countdown was stopped three times before the fourth attempt finally was successful sending the Delta IV Heavy rocket roaring off the pad.

[catdlr]

NROL 15 Launch Coverage - 30/6/2012 T-4 min till end of coverage.

[Antares]

If L-32 was the same payload, why would the vehicle have needed upgraded engines?

Also, one can only say "heaviest" payload if it's going to a lower orbit.  The longer mission duration calls that into question.  Most energetic might be accurate.

[edkyle99]

Congrats to PWR for a successful, loud, RS-68A debut, and to NRO for its payload that went, somewhere, to do, something.  Big things, very big, have happened this month that most of us know nothing about. 

BTW, this was the third Delta 4 launch in a row not identified with a Delta launch number.  It wasn't, for example, "Delta 360".  It was just "a Delta".

I was impressed with the way the vehicle jumped off the pad.  This clearly wasn't a big heavy LEO payload.

 - Ed Kyle

[russianhalo117]

Congrats to PWR for a successful, loud, RS-68A debut, and to NRO for its payload that went, somewhere, to do, something.  Big things, very big, have happened this month that most of us know nothing about. 

BTW, this was the third Delta 4 launch in a row not identified with a Delta launch number.  It wasn't, for example, "Delta 360".  It was just "a Delta".

I was impressed with the way the vehicle jumped off the pad.  This clearly wasn't a big heavy LEO payload.

 - Ed Kyle

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

[edkyle99]

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

It does?  I can't find it. 

 - Ed Kyle

[catdlr]

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

It does?  I can't find it. 

 - Ed Kyle

Look at the initial title of the document.  "NROL-15 Delta 360"

[edkyle99]

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

It does?  I can't find it. 

 - Ed Kyle

Look at the initial title of the document.  "NROL-15 Delta 360"

Goofy.  That didn't show up in my Firefox browser.  I see it now in Chrome.  Flash or something. 

That's the only place I see the number though.

 - Ed Kyle

[ChileVerde]

Now that RS-68A has flown, apparently successfully, is "the anticipated change [...] to an RS-68A+ that adds startup H2 release mitigation" a certainty, or is that work still awaiting funding? Related: is it possible the observations of today's launch (saying there seemed to be less charring) are due to increased thrust from RS-68A moving the vehicle out of the flame ball more quickly?

This is something that probably warrants a bit of research and clarification, though I don't think it's a really big deal.  As I currently understand it, the sequence is

RS-68A: NRO requirement for NROL-15; needs increased thrust and Isp for whatever reason.

RS-68A+: USAF signs onto RS-68A and adds desire for less hydrogen release at launch, less helium usage and, IIRC, some increased reliability stuff having to do with materials.

RS-68B: NASA joins the gang and adds human-rating criteria.

This all makes some sense, as the NRO, needing a one-off, wasn't too concerned with more than getting the NROL-15 payload, whatever it is, to wherever it's gone. USAF, wanting to use the engine repeatedly, adds reliability and economy criteria. NASA, being in the HSF business, adds its wishes.

[russianhalo117]

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

It does?  I can't find it. 

 - Ed Kyle

look at the top of the article to the right of the Delta symbol

[russianhalo117]

On the recent ULA presser: http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/109/ it says Delta 360.

It does?  I can't find it. 

 - Ed Kyle

Look at the initial title of the document.  "NROL-15 Delta 360"

Goofy.  That didn't show up in my Firefox browser.  I see it now in Chrome.  Flash or something. 

That's the only place I see the number though.

 - Ed Kyle

I used Firefox and Safari on Mac OSX v. 10.7.4 with latest versions of Adobe Shockwave Flash player and regular Adobe Flash player installed. If you want I can try it in windows 7 or Windows 8 beta. Or I can take a screenshot and attach it.

[Prober]

Pratt and Whitney presser out, and says RS-68A, and says developed for NROL-15!

http://www.pw.utc.com/media_center/press_releases/2012/06_jun/06-29-2012_00002.asp

Three Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68A Engines Power Delta IV Heavy Upgrade Vehicle on Inaugural Flight

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.

###

Everyone who worked on this mission should be proud of the results.

[Lars_J]

A very impressive launch - congrats to all involved!

[Chris Bergin]

Been out, and while I see references to the presser, here it is posted.

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (June 29, 2012) – A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-37 at 9:15 a.m. EDT with a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch today is the third of four launches for the NRO this year and the second launch for the NRO in just nine days.

 

Photo by Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance

 

United Launch Alliance Upgraded Delta IV Heavy Rocket Successfully Launches Second Payload in Nine Days for the National Reconnaissance Office

 

Launch Marks the Inaugural Flight of the RS-68A Engine

 

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (June 29, 2012) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 here at 9:15 a.m. EDT today. Designated NROL-15, the mission is in support of national defense.

            "Today’s successful launch of the NROL-15 mission is the third of four launches for the NRO this year and the second EELV launch for the NRO in just nine days,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations. “We congratulate the combined NRO, U.S. Air Force and ULA team along with our mission partners for their continued focus on mission success as we deliver the critical capabilities to support the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.” 

This mission was launched aboard a Delta IV Heavy configuration vehicle, which featured a center common booster core along with two strap-on common booster cores. Each common booster core was powered by an RS-68A Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine producing 797,000 pounds of thrust. A single RL10 Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine powered the second stage. The booster and upper stage engines are both built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The payload was encased by a five-meter diameter (16.7-foot diameter), 65-foot, metallic tri-sector payload fairing. ULA constructed the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle in Decatur, Ala.

This was the inaugural flight of the RS-68A engine, which was upgraded from the RS-68 under the Heavy Upgrade program for the Delta IV Heavy configuration. With the RS-68A engine upgrade, the thrust has been increased from approximately 758,000 pounds to 797,000 pounds and the engine overall efficiency (specific impulse) has also been increased.

“The upgraded Delta IV Heavy vehicle was developed with an extremely thorough and comprehensive system engineering process by the ULA and Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne teams, along with substantial involvement by our U.S. government customers,” said Sponnick. “Congratulations to the entire team on today’s successful inaugural flight of the upgraded Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle and the RS-68A engine.”

Commercially developed in partnership with the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems. 

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V NROL-36 mission for the NRO scheduled Aug. 2 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

ULA program management, engineering, test, and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo.  Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., and Harlingen, Texas. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA Web site at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch and twitter.com/ulalaunch.

SECOND PICTURE CORRECTED.

[nacnud]

There has been some speculation regarding charring from the H2 fireball with start up on this launch. Could something a simple as wind direction/speed account for the perceived differences?

[jcm]

Congrats to ULA on an impressive launch.

So to review: it seems to me the weight of the evidence is clearly on the side of this being a GEO payload (the launch azimuth, duration before press release, etc).
The fact that the RS-68A was developed especially for this payload indicates that it is more massive than the only previous NRO Delta 4 Heavy GEO payloads, the two Rhyolite/Mentor series ones USA 202 and USA 223.

I'm not sure if we can deduce that 'especially for this payload' means that there were no successor missions of the same type planned, so I see three possibilities:

 - a new block of the Rhyo/Mentor/IOSA payload with increased mass due either to sensor or antenna improvements or to a new secondary sensor

 - a special one-off payload of some kind. I don't think Prowler is likely; it could be some sort of precursor to DARPA's PHOENIX Servicer/Tender but I don't really buy that either, not an NRO mission area; a new kind of signals intelligence payload seems most likely, perhaps targeted at a specific threat or region (that was already a problem in 2002 and is still relevant? )
 
 - the first of a new series of SIGINT payloads,   replacing Rhyo/Mentor with an entirely new design
   (I am not sure why it was thought NROL-37 would be the first of the new series)

Someone asked about MERCURY (the COMINT satellite); my understanding was that the Integrated Overhead SIGINT Architecture plan had merged the two GEO SIGINT programs into one. Of course, that was a while ago, the way bureaucracies work they could easily have become unmerged again.