Delta IV Successfully Boosts Payload To Orbit

A Delta IV rocket carried a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA on Saturday. The launch was the second West Coast mission completed for the USAF Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.

Liftoff was 5:53 a.m. Pacific time from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6, providing the west coast's early risers a spectacular show. The DMSP-17 payload successfully deployed approximately 18 minutes later.

"The DMSP constellation has the critical job of providing specialized weather data to aid the U.S. military in planning operations at sea, on land and in the air," said Dan Collins, vice president of Boeing Launch Systems. "The Delta team is proud to contribute to this important capability for national defense with this first launch of a DMSP satellite aboard a Delta rocket."

This was the seventh Delta IV launch since the configuration began flying in November 2002 and the third of the Medium configuration. This was the first direct injection mission for Delta IV.

"With this second successful launch of a Delta IV from the West Coast this year, and the third Delta IV mission in 2006, we are seeing this new launch vehicle family being put through its paces and building a record of reliability," Collins added. "I'm very pleased with the vehicle performance and the dedication to mission success demonstrated by the Delta team."

The Delta IV for the DMSP-17 mission comprises a common booster core and first stage powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 engine. The second stage is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10B-2 engine with an extendible nozzle. A four-meter-diameter composite fairing topped the stack and encapsulated the payload.

SLC-6 is the West Coast launch site for the Boeing's Delta IV launch vehicles. The site is ideal for launching satellites to polar, Sun-synchronous and high-inclination orbits. It can support all five configurations of the Delta IV family.

The next Delta launch will be of a GPS navigation satellite aboard a Delta II from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, in mid-November.

FMI: www.boeing.com