A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-91 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off on September 24 at 3:25 p.m., PDT, from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. To date ULA has launched 153 times with 100 percent mission success.
“The NRO has been, and continues to be, a phenomenal partner through 32 collaborative launch campaigns, stemming from ULA’s very first launch in 2006,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “This mission was ULA’s 96th National Security mission and the NRO’s 10th mission on board a Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle – a history that we are very proud of.”
“This was also ULA’s 95th Delta mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base and our fifth and final Delta IV Heavy from the West Coast, completing a long, successful tenure of delivering critical national security payloads,” added Wentz. “We look forward to preparing Space Launch Complex-3 for future Vulcan flights from the West Coast.”
ULA’s next launch is a commercial launch of the SES-20 and SES-21 mission, planned for September 30 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
ULA’s Delta IV Heavy has launched the NRO’s heaviest satellites for more than a decade and is set to retire in 2024, making room for ULA’s new rocket, the Vulcan. By that time, the Heavy will have placed approximately 28 national security satellites on orbit.
“We had yet another great launch for the NRO. The payload we’ve put into space today adds to the unique capability NRO provides to keep us safe and out in front of the threats posed by our strategic competitors,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space. “In a time of frequent launches, today’s mission may look familiar, but these national security launches are truly a next-level activity, with pre-launch handling and flight performance requirements that take extra planning and care. Today’s team, comprised of the NRO, United States Space Force, and United Launch Alliance do an immense amount of work behind the scenes to ensure these specialized national assets get to orbit perfectly.”
Leveraging a legacy of 100 percent mission success launching more than 150 missions to explore, protect and enhance our world, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider with world-leading reliability, schedule confidence, and mission optimization. We deliver value unmatched by any launch services company in the industry, a tireless drive to improve, and commitment to the extraordinary.
Original posting…
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, the National Reconnaissance Office and United Launch Alliance are preparing to launch a Delta IV Heavy rocket this coming weekend from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in northern Santa Barbara County, California.
Scheduled to lift off on September 24 at 2:53 p.m., PDT, this will be the final Delta IV Heavy to launch from the West Coast. The Atlas/Delta team in El Segundo, California, will be performing two launches within weeks of each other with less than half the staff used in the past and a more consolidated engineering approach to both Atlas and Delta missions, across both coasts.
“We’re on track to launch another national capability into space. This will be our sixth national security launch this year. We’ve worked alongside ULA to prepare this Delta IV Heavy, and in just a few days, we will see the fruits of our labor.” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space. “These launches place critical capabilities into orbit for our nation and our allies in a time of increasing risks and threats. Every member of our launch team understands what’s at stake and works with both care and efficiency to prepare for what’s going to be a tremendous launch.”
“This team will accomplish an unprecedented feat, and I am very proud of their focused dedication to missions of both the Atlas and Delta launch vehicles,” said Lt. Col. Scott Carstetter, Delta IV Materiel Leader. “In the past, there were two separate teams of fully staffed personnel when close launches occurred.”
SSC is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for rapidly developing, acquiring, equipping, fielding, and sustaining lethal and resilient space capabilities. SSC mission capability areas include launch acquisition and operations, communications and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), space sensing, battle management command, control and communications (BMC3), and space domain awareness & combat power. SSC is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, Calif.
