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Although we are now used to the spectacular launches and landings of space rockets like those of SpaceX, with their return to the droneship (or on the pads) or the first tests of the components of the new Starship carrier there is another type of rocket that has its own charm “old school” not being reusable: it is the large heavy carrier ULA Delta IV Heavy. In the night just passed there was an important historical event that concerned him.
In fact the United Launch Alliance carried out the last mission of this carrier from the Californian base of Vandenberg, thus also approaching the end of this type of space rockets (two launches missing) that have helped to put payloads of great mass into orbit. The spectacularity of the launch lies in the seconds before the start, when large flames envelop the lower boosters (but this is normal).
The launch of ULA Delta IV Heavy for the NROL-91 mission
The launch for the NROL-91 mission dedicated to a classified military satellite of the National Reconnaissance Office took place at 0:25 today, after a delay of a few tens of minutes due to a problem encountered shortly before departure. As written above, this is the latest launch of this type of carriers from the Vandenberg military base (located in California) and in particular from the Space Launch Complex-6. This base is mainly used for payloads that need to reach polar orbits.
ULA Delta IV Heavy uses three lower boosters with liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants and Aerojet Rocketdyone RS-68A engines (simplified versions of the Space Shuttle RS-25 and NASA SLS) and an upper stage with an RL-10C-2-1 engine related to that of the ICPS upper stage of the Space Launch System. After today’s mission there will be two more missions, scheduled for 2023 and 2024, which will however be launched from Florida.
As written, the peculiarity of this space rocket is that, by design choice, just before the launch it releases theliquid hydrogen from the engine area as it is preferred that the fuel-combustive mixture is initially rich in the former. Liquid hydrogen (which almost instantly becomes gaseous) is dispersed in the vicinity of the boosters of the ULA Delta IV Heavy and when the actual launch is kicked off it ignites creating a decidedly spectacular scene but that is it “nominal” (the upholstery is meant to resist those flames).
The launch of the NROL-91 mission happened correctly even if there is no information on the payload or on the precise orbit chosen by the US agency. Around four minutes after the start the side boosters separated leaving only the central one (with the upper stage). The latter, on the other hand, separated about two minutes later. With the end of the Delta and Atlas series, ULA instead it will use the new (partially reusable) space rocket Vulcan Centaur which will fly from next year.
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