In the recent loading of Mariner dockside in Alabama, for delivery to Cape Canaveral, noted in the Starliner CFT launch thread; post and post:Accompanying the Atlas V CCB and dual-engine Centaur was a Delta IV CBC.The last Delta IV Medium CBC, for the GPS III SV02 launch, has already been delivered.What launch campaign is this newly-delivered Delta IV CBC for? From this forum thread, the following launch from SLC-37B will be a D4H, launching NROL-44 in 2020.My conclusion? This is the possibly the first hardware delivered for the NROL-44 launch.As always, seeking correction, clarification, or confirmation!
http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.htmlQuoteDELTA 4<snip>After [the GPS III SV02 launch], several [Canaveral] Delta 4-Heavy rockets remain,the next in summer 2020.
DELTA 4<snip>After [the GPS III SV02 launch], several [Canaveral] Delta 4-Heavy rockets remain,the next in summer 2020.
The numbering apparently continues serially from Magnum 1/Orion 1, launched from Discovery in 1985 on STS 51-C.Gunter has Orion 1 and 2 grouped as Magnum/Orion = Project 7600.https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orion-1_nro.htmThey are followed by "Advanced Orion" = Orion 3 and 4. These are apparently also Project 7600, but launched by Titan IV/Centaur-T.https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orion-3_nro.htmProject 8300 are the current version of "Advanced Orion" = Orion 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and now 10. These have all been launched by Delta IV-Heavy or Delta IV-Heavy (upgraded).
Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 06/08/2019 02:17 amThe numbering apparently continues serially from Magnum 1/Orion 1, launched from Discovery in 1985 on STS 51-C.Gunter has Orion 1 and 2 grouped as Magnum/Orion = Project 7600.https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orion-1_nro.htmThey are followed by "Advanced Orion" = Orion 3 and 4. These are apparently also Project 7600, but launched by Titan IV/Centaur-T.https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orion-3_nro.htmProject 8300 are the current version of "Advanced Orion" = Orion 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and now 10. These have all been launched by Delta IV-Heavy or Delta IV-Heavy (upgraded).Thanks. I knew there was a change after USA 202 which is the one we have some information about due to leaks.
https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1163898898253041664Quote2/2 After Thursday’s Delta 4-Medium swan song, ULA plans two Delta 4-Heavy missions next year, both for the NRO. First up is NROL-44 from Cape Canaveral in June 2020, followed by NROL-82 from Vandenberg AFB in September 2020.
2/2 After Thursday’s Delta 4-Medium swan song, ULA plans two Delta 4-Heavy missions next year, both for the NRO. First up is NROL-44 from Cape Canaveral in June 2020, followed by NROL-82 from Vandenberg AFB in September 2020.
Delta IV Heavy rolls out to the pad for NROL-44Nov 15, 2019, 09:28 AMUnited Launch Alliance's next triple-core Delta IV Heavy, America's workhorse heavy-lift rocket for national security space missions, is standing tall on its Cape Canaveral launch pad.L44_rollout_2The 170-foot-long rocket was rolled from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to Space Launch Complex-37 on Thursday, Nov. 14, riding a 36-wheel, diesel-powered transporter down the road and up the ramp to the launch pad.The Fixed Pad Erector raised the vehicle upright this morning to complete the Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS) milestone for Delta IV Heavy to conduct the NROL-44 mission next year for the National Reconnaissance Office. The three common booster cores and the upper stage recently were assembled at the HIF. The port and starboard boosters were connected to the center core, then the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage was attached to the interstage on the forward end of the center booster.Also completed in the HIF was attachment of the Launch Mate Unit (LMU), which serves as the structural base that the rocket stands atop on the pad's launch table. The LMU contains the 12 holddown bolts that fire to release the 1.6-million-pound rocket at liftoff.L44lvosSystem testing is planned over the next month. The team will resume preps for launch later in 2020, including vertically integrating the payload onto the rocket at the pad to produce a 235-foot-tall Delta IV Heavy for flight. This will be the 12th Delta IV Heavy rocket launch and the 8th for the NRO.
Bringing the next Delta IV Heavy to the pad today! Great work by the team. Weather cooperated too (mostly). 😃👏🏻🚀👍 #DeltaIVHeavy #ULA #rocketsarecool @ulalaunch
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orion-5_nro.htmGunter Krebs seems to think that the payload is an Orion SIGINT satellite. If true, a long lead up for such a big and expensive payload doesn’t seem that unusual. I wonder if the build ups to previous Orion launches were comparable, if not maybe this is a new block/upgraded version of Orion, or even something else entirely.
An expensive payload is no reason to bring the launch vehicle to the pad 3 months early.
Quick check of NSF threads for some of the previous launches Delta Heavy gives:Orion 7 (USA 223, NROL 32) DH Roll-out: Aug 04, 2010Launch: Nov 21, 2010lead time: 109 days Orion 9 ? (USA 268, NROL 37) DH Roll-out: Mar 08, 2016Launch: Jun 11, 2016lead time: 95 days
Why rollout seven months before launch? Is this due to ULA personnel limits, bouncing between Atlas 5 and Delta 4 at the Cape? - Ed Kyle
The #DeltaIVHeavy rocket that will perform the #NROL44 mission for @NatReconOfc successfully completed a Wet Dress Rehearsal on Friday to demonstrate its intricate day-of-launch countdown activities.Read more in our blog: ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-d…📷 by @DaneDrefke
