Author Topic: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - (19:10 UTC) January 19, 2019  (Read 149792 times)

Offline Targeteer

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #380 on: 01/20/2019 03:48 am »
It has already been heard by observers

http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2019/0103.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1669929169904106/

If you want to try and see it, Ted Molczan updated his TLE predictions to reflect actual launch time

http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2019/0097.html
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Offline worldtimedate

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #381 on: 01/20/2019 06:03 am »
Liftoff and the first six or so minutes of the trajectory looked awesome.  Congrats to ULA on that!

But, darn, they're gonna crash all three of those multi-tens-of-million-dollars booster stages into the ocean.  And only use them once.  Throw them away.  ???

Can you believe it?   :o
Yes, I have to believe it, because like all the launch vehicles, except Falcon X, Delta IV Heavy is NOT Reusable. Unless the reusable features are incorporated into a launch vehicle, we have to see this kind of thing.

Offline sdsds

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #382 on: 01/20/2019 06:28 am »
Snippets of launch observation from Brian Webb: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2019-January/001188.html
Quote
I observed today’s launch from a bluff approximately 105 statute miles (167 kilometers) east-southeast of the launch site.

[...]

After a few minutes, I saw a very brief, colorless, spray-like event behind the vehicle. This was probably due to something being jettisoned from the Delta IV Heavy.

The rocket then resembled a yellow point of light. A few seconds later, I saw a brief, colorless, wedge-shaped plume well behind the rocket. This appeared to have been caused by an object performing some type of venting.

I continued to follow the yellow point of light until T+5 minutes 45 seconds [...]

Is Webb reporting some known aspect of a DIV-H launch, or are his observations suggesting some deployment took place distinct from that of the nominal mission payload?
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Offline Lewis007

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Offline hoku

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #384 on: 01/20/2019 07:22 am »
Snippets of launch observation from Brian Webb: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2019-January/001188.html
Quote
I observed today’s launch from a bluff approximately 105 statute miles (167 kilometers) east-southeast of the launch site.

[...]

After a few minutes, I saw a very brief, colorless, spray-like event behind the vehicle. This was probably due to something being jettisoned from the Delta IV Heavy.

The rocket then resembled a yellow point of light. A few seconds later, I saw a brief, colorless, wedge-shaped plume well behind the rocket. This appeared to have been caused by an object performing some type of venting.

I continued to follow the yellow point of light until T+5 minutes 45 seconds [...]

Is Webb reporting some known aspect of a DIV-H launch, or are his observations suggesting some deployment took place distinct from that of the nominal mission payload?

Port and starboard booster separation occurs about 105 nm downrange. First stage separation occurs at T+ 5:45. Thus most likely the report is related to these events.


Offline Lewis007

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #385 on: 01/20/2019 08:16 am »
Launch pics posted by VAFB

Offline Targeteer

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #386 on: 01/20/2019 05:51 pm »
43941    USA 290       2019-004A     
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Offline TJL

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #387 on: 01/20/2019 06:28 pm »
Is it just me, or did they add a pad water deluge system to SLC-6?

I’ve never seen steam erupt out of the flame trench during these Delta IV Heavy launches.
They may have added a pad deluge system being it's the first Delta IV Heavy with upgraded RS-68A engines from VAFB.
« Last Edit: 01/20/2019 06:33 pm by TJL »

Offline catdlr

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #388 on: 01/21/2019 03:00 am »
Delta IV Heavy Launch with NROL-71 through tracked telescope in 4K on 2019-01-19


Justin Foley
Published on Jan 20, 2019

The launch of United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on January 19th, 2019.

This video is a combination of footage shot with a Sony A7sII through a 1500mm Celestron 6" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and a piggybacked Sony A6000 with 210mm telephoto lens. Tracking was guided manually via joystick control. Audio recorded with standalone tascam audio recorder.

The rumble is very low, and may only be able to be heard with larger speaker systems.



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Offline sdsds

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #389 on: 01/21/2019 10:22 am »
Snippets of launch observation from Brian Webb: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2019-January/001188.html
Quote
I observed today’s launch from a bluff approximately 105 statute miles (167 kilometers) east-southeast of the launch site.

[...]

After a few minutes, I saw a very brief, colorless, spray-like event behind the vehicle. This was probably due to something being jettisoned from the Delta IV Heavy.

The rocket then resembled a yellow point of light. A few seconds later, I saw a brief, colorless, wedge-shaped plume well behind the rocket. This appeared to have been caused by an object performing some type of venting.

I continued to follow the yellow point of light until T+5 minutes 45 seconds [...]

Is Webb reporting some known aspect of a DIV-H launch, or are his observations suggesting some deployment took place distinct from that of the nominal mission payload?

Port and starboard booster separation occurs about 105 nm downrange. First stage separation occurs at T+ 5:45. Thus most likely the report is related to these events.

Thank you, that does clearly indicate Webb lost visual contact with the vehicle just around the time the engine on the center CBC shut down. Thus the plume he observed must have been associated with the strapon CBCs.

<begin conspiracy theory thinking>
 Just how much physical space is enclosed by the caps that top the strapon CBCs? If the primary payload were low enough in mass could another payload with e.g. a clandestine storable propellant second stage be squirreled away inside one?
<end conspiracy theory thinking>

(I'm not suggesting there have been prior NRO launches that might have ever done anything like that!)
« Last Edit: 01/21/2019 10:25 am by sdsds »
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Offline SciNews

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #390 on: 01/21/2019 10:41 am »
Edited version of the ULA feed

short video from DOD

Offline Star One

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #391 on: 01/21/2019 11:42 am »
Snippets of launch observation from Brian Webb: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2019-January/001188.html
Quote
I observed today’s launch from a bluff approximately 105 statute miles (167 kilometers) east-southeast of the launch site.

[...]

After a few minutes, I saw a very brief, colorless, spray-like event behind the vehicle. This was probably due to something being jettisoned from the Delta IV Heavy.

The rocket then resembled a yellow point of light. A few seconds later, I saw a brief, colorless, wedge-shaped plume well behind the rocket. This appeared to have been caused by an object performing some type of venting.

I continued to follow the yellow point of light until T+5 minutes 45 seconds [...]

Is Webb reporting some known aspect of a DIV-H launch, or are his observations suggesting some deployment took place distinct from that of the nominal mission payload?

Port and starboard booster separation occurs about 105 nm downrange. First stage separation occurs at T+ 5:45. Thus most likely the report is related to these events.

Thank you, that does clearly indicate Webb lost visual contact with the vehicle just around the time the engine on the center CBC shut down. Thus the plume he observed must have been associated with the strapon CBCs.

&lt;begin conspiracy theory thinking&gt;
 Just how much physical space is enclosed by the caps that top the strapon CBCs? If the primary payload were low enough in mass could another payload with e.g. a clandestine storable propellant second stage be squirreled away inside one?
&lt;end conspiracy theory thinking&gt;

(I'm not suggesting there have been prior NRO launches that might have ever done anything like that!)

If it was a KH-11 it would probably fill up most of that space and with a radarsat even with undeployed array it would still take up a fair bit of space.

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #392 on: 01/21/2019 12:07 pm »
3 more cool ULA photos

Offline Lewis007

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #393 on: 01/21/2019 12:37 pm »
Three additional NROL-71 patches

Offline Jim

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #394 on: 01/21/2019 08:03 pm »
Liftoff and the first six or so minutes of the trajectory looked awesome.  Congrats to ULA on that!

But, darn, they're gonna crash all three of those multi-tens-of-million-dollars booster stages into the ocean.  And only use them once.  Throw them away.  ???

Can you believe it?   :o

yes, because it is the reliable thing to do.

Offline Newton_V

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #395 on: 01/21/2019 08:23 pm »
Is it just me, or did they add a pad water deluge system to SLC-6?

I’ve never seen steam erupt out of the flame trench during these Delta IV Heavy launches.

Just rainwater getting steamed..

Offline catdlr

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #396 on: 01/22/2019 01:34 am »
ULA Delta IV Heavy NROL-71 Launch • Vandenberg AFB

AIRBOYD
Published on Jan 21, 2019

Click to subscribe! http://bit.ly/subAIRBOYD

Team Vandenberg supported the successful launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload from Space Launch Complex-6, Saturday, Jan. 19 2019, at 11:10 am PST.

Video by Airman 1st Class Daniel Myles 30th Space Wing Public Affairs   

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.



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Offline catdlr

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #397 on: 01/22/2019 01:38 am »
ULA Delta IV Heavy - NROL 71 - 4K wide angle Timelapse

Jay DeShetler
Published on Jan 21, 2019



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Offline Llian Rhydderch

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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #398 on: 01/22/2019 11:15 am »
Was the large external flame external to the rocket engine initiation sequence, the heavy flames up to the height of the middle of the booster cores, a normal occurrence for the Delta IV Heavy?  There is a large amount of black smoke as a result, seen mixed into the much lighter-colored rocket exhaust and steam rising, and heavy blackening of the cores seen shortly after liftoff.

I've been looking to see this explained, and did not see anything in the thread up to this point.  Anyone have a theory? 
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Re: Delta IV-H - NROL-71 - January 19, 2019
« Reply #399 on: 01/22/2019 11:33 am »
Was the large external flame external to the rocket engine initiation sequence, the heavy flames up to the height of the middle of the booster cores, a normal occurrence for the Delta IV Heavy?

Ahh, you must be new to the forum, welcome!  :P

Yes, it's not desirable (they tried to mitigate it somewhat by a staggered side booster ignition, but the result was not really all that effective), but it is expected for a Delta IV.

RS-68 engines dump out a lot of hydrogen during startup, that's just the nature of the beast.
« Last Edit: 01/22/2019 11:36 am by ugordan »

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