Author Topic: LIVE: Delta IV-M+(5,4) - WGS-8 - December 7, 2016 (23:53 UTC)  (Read 61612 times)

Offline Jim

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Yes; 8x then - the routing of propellant lines on the outside of the corestage would probably preclude more than 8, just as the Atlas V can only have 5x solids in total.)

Pad crane and TSM's prevent adding more than 8
« Last Edit: 12/08/2016 01:25 am by Jim »

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Delta IV WGS-8 Launch Highlights

United Launch Alliance

Published on Dec 7, 2016
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying the eighth installment of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite for the United States Air Force lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37. This was ULA’s 11th launch in 2016 and the 114th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006. WGS satellites are an important element of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capability to our troops in the field.



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Drone View Delta IV WGS8 Rocket Launch High Above Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach 365

Published on Dec 7, 2016
The night launch of the Wideband Global SATCOM 8 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket as seen from high above the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida by drone. Filmed 12/7/216 with a Yuneec Q500 Typhoon. Audio recorded on the beach by my iPhone.



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Full Launch Coverage

Delta IV WGS-8 Live Launch Coverage

ULA's live coverage of the eighth Wideband Global SATOM-8 (WGS-8) mission for the U.S. Air Force.



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Offline Lar

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Congrats to ULA for making it look easy, as usual.
"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk
"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Offline dawei

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Thanks for the coverage.  Anybody know details on the deorbit burn for the second stage?

Offline Star One

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Now that WGS-8 is in orbit, only four more single-stick Delta IVs remain: WGS-9, WGS-10, GPS III-1, and NROL-47. After these missions are launched over the next three years, the Heavy version will only remain as needed for national security payloads.

Isn't it more accurate to say will remain available as needed by government payloads being as not all the remaining flights of the Heavy are for national security.

Offline jacqmans

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45th SW supports successful Delta IV WGS-8 launch

By 45th Space Wing Public Affairs

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. – The 45th Space Wing supported United Launch Alliance’s successful launch of the WGS-8 spacecraft aboard a ULA Delta IV rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 here December 7 at 6:53 p.m. ET.

The ULA Delta IV rocket is carrying the Air Force’s eighth Wideband Global SATCOM communication spacecraft. WGS provides anytime, anywhere communication for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and international partners through broadcast, multicast, and point-to-point connections. The WGS constellation is the highest-capacity military communications system in the U.S. Department of Defense arsenal. WGS supports a wide variety of missions for Combatant Commanders around the world to perform missions, from search and rescue efforts to military operations.

According to Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, 45th Space Wing commander and mission Launch Decision Authority, this launch is the culmination of many long hours and hard work by the entire mission team.

“Thanks to the astounding commitment, focus on the mission, and teamwork the men and women of the 45th Space Wing share with our mission partners at SMC and ULA, we successfully launched the next satellite in the WGS constellation,” he said.  “This mission demonstrates the Air Force’s commitment to deliver secure and reliable satellite communications around the globe to U.S. forces and our allies.  It also once again showcases why the 45th Space Wing is the ‘World's Premiere Gateway to Space.’”
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches WGS-8 Mission for the U.S. Air Force

Delta IV WGS-8 Mission Overview

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (Dec. 7, 2016) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying the eighth installment of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite for the United States Air Force lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 Dec. 7 at 6:53 p.m. EDT. This is ULA’s 11th launch in 2016 and the 114th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

“Thank you to the U.S. Air Force and industry team whose flawless execution enabled today’s successful launch of the WGS-8 mission,” said Laura Maginnis, ULA vice president of Custom Services. “Last week ULA celebrated our anniversary and 10 years of 100% mission success. This evening’s launch epitomizes why our customers continue to entrust ULA to deliver our nation’s most crucial space capabilities.”

This mission was launched aboard a Delta IV Medium+ (5, 4) configuration Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) powered by one common booster core and four solid rocket motors built by Orbital ATK. The common booster core was powered by an RS-68A liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine producing 705,250 pounds of thrust at sea level. A single RL10B-2 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine powered the second stage. The booster and upper stage engines are both built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. ULA constructed the Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) launch vehicle in Decatur, Alabama.

WGS-8, the second Block II Follow-on satellite, supports communications links in the X-band and Ka-band spectra. The WGS-8 satellite will be able filter and downlink up to 8.088 GHz of bandwidth. WGS satellites are an important element of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capability to our troops in the field.

The EELV program was established by the U.S. Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads. The commercially developed EELV program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 110 satellites to orbit that provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, enable personal device-based GPS navigation and unlock the mysteries of our solar system.
Jacques :-)

Offline Prober

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Unfortunate twitter handle with a winning answer! ;D


stays away from twitter, what were the questions?

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T+32 minutes, 34 seconds. SECO-2 confirmed.

The RL-10B-2 engine has officially shut down, ending tonight's powered flight. Separation of WGS-8 will occur 9 minutes and 10 seconds after SECO-2.


Ok Zach how many RL-10's are left in the stockpile ?


It's today's question  :)
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T+32 minutes, 34 seconds. SECO-2 confirmed.

The RL-10B-2 engine has officially shut down, ending tonight's powered flight. Separation of WGS-8 will occur 9 minutes and 10 seconds after SECO-2.


Ok Zach how many RL-10's are left in the stockpile ?


It's today's question  :)

I have no clue. Sorry.  ???
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Offline MarekCyzio

A bit late - yesterday's launch view from Cape Canaveral beach.

Offline Newton_V

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Thanks for the coverage.  Anybody know details on the deorbit burn for the second stage?

Worked fine.  Perigee altitude was < -200 km.  With the apogee altitude, didn't reenter until early this morning.

Offline jacqmans

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Orbital ATK Products From Across the Country Support ULA Delta IV Launch of WGS-8 Spacecraft


WGS-8 Will Improve Tactical Communications Capability for U.S. and Allied Forces


(Dulles, Virginia 8 December 2016) – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, provided propulsion, composite and spacecraft technologies to enable the successful launch of both the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket and the eighth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-8) satellite that was launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

“Orbital ATK’s propulsion and composite structures on the Delta IV performed very well, and soon the company’s space components on the WGS-8 satellite will have the opportunity to do their jobs as well,” said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. “A launch like this one clearly demonstrates the breadth of our product lines in the launch and satellite sectors.”

Both the satellite and Delta IV launch vehicle use cutting-edge technologies from multiple Orbital ATK facilities. For the WGS-8 satellite, Orbital ATK produced both loop heat pipes and standard heat pipes, which provide payload, spacecraft bus and battery thermal management, at its Beltsville, Maryland, facility. Additionally, Orbital ATK manufactured the payload pallet boom tubes at its Magna, Utah, location and the payload module at its San Diego, California, site.

For the Delta IV rocket, Orbital ATK provided four 60-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM-60). The 53-foot-long solid rocket boosters burned for 90 seconds and provided more than 1.1 million pounds of thrust, or the equivalent of 17 747 jet engines running at full throttle. Orbital ATK produced the solid rocket motors at its Magna, Utah, facility, where it has manufactured 82 GEM-60s in support of the 34 Delta IV launches since the initial flight in 2002.

In addition to the GEM-60 propulsion, Orbital ATK supplied a combined thirteen Delta IV and GEM-60 key composite structures, which provide lower weight and higher performance. The largest composite structures are four to five meters in diameter, range from one to fourteen meters in length, and are produced using either advanced wet winding or hand layup, machining and inspection techniques at Orbital ATK’s manufacturing facilities in Iuka, Mississippi, and Clearfield, Utah.

Orbital ATK also manufactured the propellant tank for the Delta IV upper stage roll control system at the company’s Commerce, California, facility, and it designed and manufactured the nozzles for Delta IV's RS-68A liquid engine and GEM-60 solid motors at its Promontory, Utah, facility. Orbital ATK also designed and produced the nozzle's thermal protection material, which is capable of shielding the nozzle from the extreme heat of launch, when external temperatures can exceed 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The WGS-8 satellite is part of a larger system that increases military communications capabilities for U.S. and allied forces deployed worldwide. As the backbone of the U.S. military's global satellite communications, WGS provides flexible, high-capacity communications for the Nation's warfighters through procurement and operation of the satellite constellation and the associated control systems. WGS provides worldwide flexible, high data rate and long haul communications for marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, the White House Communication Agency, the US State Department, international partners, and other special users.
Jacques :-)

Online Chris Bergin

A bit late - yesterday's launch view from Cape Canaveral beach.


Epic! (And I nearly missed this!) Updated William's article as that's a lead image if ever there was one! :)
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UP CLOSE Delta IV / WGS-8 Launch Pad Remote Camera Video

Video Credit: Matthew Travis / Zero-G News



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Offline jcm

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Thanks for the coverage.  Anybody know details on the deorbit burn for the second stage?

Worked fine.  Perigee altitude was < -200 km.  With the apogee altitude, didn't reenter until early this morning.

I estimate about 1100 UTC.
-----------------------------

Jonathan McDowell
http://planet4589.org

The USAF launch patch for WGS 8 shows circling sharks for “The Sharks” nickname of the 45th Space Wing. The sharks are swimming circles around insignias for key mission participants. The Sharks insignia derives from the teeth earlier painted on the nose of all 14th Air Force aircraft and later launch vehicle. (USAF image)

The orbit data is extracted from the following two-line orbital elements,

1 41879U 16075A   16358.21353247 0.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    01
2 41879   3.6003  66.5855 0199996 312.3102   7.7135  1.00270000    06
Epoch (UTC):   23 December 2016 05:07:29
Eccentricity:   0.0199996
inclination:   3.6003°
perigee height:   34943 km
apogee height:   36630 km
right ascension of ascending node:   66.5855°
argument of perigee:   312.3102°
revolutions per day:   1.00270000
mean anomaly at epoch:   7.7135°
orbit number at epoch:   0

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