Delta IV Heavy

Delta IV Heavy
Delta IV Heavy launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base
FunctionHeavy-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerUnited Launch Alliance
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchUS$350 million[1]
NRO: US$440 million
Size
Height70.7 m (232 ft)
Diameter5.1 m (17 ft)
Width15.3 m (50 ft)
Mass733,000 kg (1,616,000 lb)
Associated rockets
FamilyDelta
Comparable
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites
Total launches16
Success(es)15
Partial failure(s)1
First flightDecember 21, 2004 (USA-181)
Last flightApril 9, 2024 (NROL-70)
Carries passengers or cargo
Boosters – CBC
No. boosters2
Height40.8 m (134 ft)
Empty mass26,760 kg (59,000 lb)
Gross mass226,400 kg (499,100 lb)
Propellant mass200,400 kg (441,800 lb)[2]
Powered by1 × RS-68
Maximum thrust3,140 kN (710,000 lbf)
Total thrust6,280 kN (1,410,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSL: 360 s (3.5 km/s)
vac: 412 s (4.04 km/s)
Burn time246 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX
First stage – CBC
Height40.8 m (134 ft)
Empty mass26,760 kg (59,000 lb)
Gross mass226,400 kg (499,100 lb)
Propellant mass200,400 kg (441,800 lb)[2]
Powered by1 × RS-68
Maximum thrust3,140 kN (710,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSL: 360 s (3.5 km/s)
vac: 412 s (4.04 km/s)
Burn time334 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX
Second stage – DCSS
Height13.7 m (45 ft)
Empty mass3,490 kg (7,690 lb)
Gross mass30,710 kg (67,700 lb)
Propellant mass27,220 kg (60,010 lb)
Powered by1 × RL10-B-2
Maximum thrust110 kN (25,000 lbf)
Specific impulse465.5 s (4.565 km/s)
Burn time1,125 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX

The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) was an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest member of the Delta IV family. Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, it was the most capable operational launch vehicle until the Falcon Heavy's debut in 2018. At the time of its retirement in 2024, it ranked third among active rockets in payload capacity..[3][4][5] Developed by Boeing and later manufactured by United Launch Alliance (ULA), it first flew in 2004. The Delta IV Heavy was retired after its final launch on 9 April 2024 and was succeeded by ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket, which can offer similar heavy-lift capabilities at a lower cost with a single-core and six solid rocket boosters.[6][7]

The vehicle consisted of three Common Booster Cores (CBCs), each powered by an RS-68 engine. Two served as strap-on boosters attached to a central core. During ascent, all three engines ignited at liftoff, with the central engine throttling down partway through flight to conserve propellant before throttling up again after booster separation.[8][9]

A distinctive feature of Delta IV Heavy launches was the hydrogen-fueled ignition sequence, which often produced a large fireball that scorched the booster’s exterior surface.[10]

History

Delta IV Heavy for Exploration Flight Test-1

The Delta IV program was initiated by Boeing under the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and was transferred to ULA in 2006. The Delta IV Heavy was developed as the most powerful configuration of the family, complementing the smaller Delta IV Medium.[11]

Its maiden flight on December 21, 2004 carried a boilerplate payload and ended in partial failure when cavitation in liquid-oxygen lines caused premature shutdown of the engines, leaving the test article in a lower-than-intended orbit.[12] The rocket achieved its first fully successful operational flight in 2007 with the launch of the DSP-23 satellite, and subsequently deployed several reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The rocket was also used for two notable missions for NASA, Exploration Flight Test-1, the first uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in 2014,[13] and the Parker Solar Probe launch in 2018, which required an additional Star 48BV third stage to achieve its elliptical heliocentric orbit.[14]

Production of Delta IV Heavy hardware ended in May 2023,[15] with its last mission flying for the NRO on April 9, 2024.[16]

Capabilities

At liftoff, the rocket had a mass of approximately 733,000 kilograms (1,616,000 lb) and generated about 9,420 kilonewtons (2,120,000 lbf) of thrust.[17]

The Delta IV Heavy had the following payload capacities:[18][19]

Orbit Payload capacity
LEO[a] 28,370 kg (62,550 lb)
LEO-ISS[b] 25,980 kg (57,280 lb)
Polar[c] 23,560 kg (51,940 lb)
MEO[d] 8,450 kg (18,630 lb)
GTO[e] 14,210 kg (31,330 lb)
GEO[f] 6,580 kg (14,510 lb)
TLI[g] 11,290 kg (24,890 lb)
TMI[h] 8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Notes
  1. ^ 200 km (120 mi) circular orbit at 28.7° inclination
  2. ^ 407 km (253 mi) circular orbit at 51.6° inclination
  3. ^ 200 km (120 mi) circular orbit at 90° inclination
  4. ^ 20,368 km (12,656 mi) circular orbit at 55° inclination
  5. ^ 185 km (115 mi) perigee and 35,786 km (22,236 mi) apogee orbit at 27° inclination
  6. ^ 35,786 km (22,236 mi) circular orbit at 0° inclination
  7. ^ Characteristic energy (C3) = −2 km2/sec2
  8. ^ C3 = +20 km2/sec2


A 20.5-meter-long (67.2 ft) carbon composite bisector payload faring was standard. The Delta IV with the extended fairing was over 62 meters (203 ft) tall.

An aluminum isogrid trisector fairing, derived from a Titan IV fairing, was also available as an option.[20] The trisector fairing was first used on the DSP-23 flight.[21]


Launch history

Flight Date Payload [22] Mass Launch site Outcome [22]
1 December 21, 2004 DemoSat, Sparkie / 3CS-1 and Ralphie / 3CS-2 ≈6,000 kg (13,000 lb) Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Partial failure[a]
2 November 11, 2007 DSP-23 5,250 kg (11,570 lb) Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
3 January 18, 2009 Orion 6 / Mentor 4 (USA-202 / NROL-26) Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
4 November 21, 2010 Orion 7 / Mentor 5 (USA-223 / NROL-32) Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
5 January 20, 2011 KH-11 Kennen 15 (USA-224 / NROL-49) <17,000 kg (37,000 lb) Vandenberg, SLC-6 Success
6 June 29, 2012 Orion 8 / Mentor 6 (USA-237 / NROL-15) Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
7 August 26, 2013 KH-11 Kennen 16 (USA-245 / NROL-65) <17,000 kg (37,000 lb) Vandenberg, SLC-6 Success
8 December 5, 2014 Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) 21,000 kg (46,000 lb)[23][b] Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
9 June 11, 2016 Orion 9 / Mentor 7 (USA-268 / NROL-37) Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
10 August 12, 2018 Parker Solar Probe[c] 685 kg (1,510 lb) Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
11 January 19, 2019 NROL-71 Classified Vandenberg, SLC-6 Success
12 December 11, 2020 Orion 10 / Mentor 8 (USA-268/ NROL-44)[24][25] Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
13 April 26, 2021 KH-11 Kennen 17 (NROL-82) Classified Vandenberg, SLC-6 Success
14 September 24, 2022 KH-11 Kennen 18 (NROL-91) Classified Vandenberg, SLC-6 Success
15 June 22, 2023 Orion 11 / Mentor 9 (NROL-68)[26] Classified Cape Canaveral, SLC-37B Success
16 April 9, 2024 Orion 12 / Mentor 10 (NROL-70)[27] Classified CCSFS, SLC-37B Success
  1. ^ Common Booster Cores underperformed, lower orbit than planned
  2. ^ The officially reported mass of 21,000 kg includes the Launch Abort System (LAS) which did not reach orbit, but excludes the residual mass of the upper stage, which did reach orbit.
  3. ^ Star 48BV upper stage

Comparable vehicles

Further information: Heavy-lift launch vehicle

Current:

Retired or cancelled:

See also

References

  1. ^ "ULA CEO Tory Bruno". twitter.com. Retrieved February 12, 2018. Delta IV Heavy goes for about US$350M. That's current and future, after the retirement of both Delta IV Medium and Delta II.
  2. ^ a b "Delta IV Heavy". Spaceflight 101. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  3. ^ Clark, Stephen (March 27, 2024). "The Delta IV Heavy, a rocket whose time has come and gone, will fly once more". ars Technica. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Chang, Kenneth (February 6, 2018). "Falcon Heavy, SpaceX's Big New Rocket, Succeeds in Its First Test Launch". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2018. The Falcon Heavy is capable of lifting 140,000 pounds to low Earth orbit, more than any other rocket today.
  5. ^ "Mission Status Center". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved July 26, 2014. The ULA Delta 4-Heavy is currently the world's largest rocket, providing the nation with reliable, proven, heavy lift capability for our country's national security payloads from both the east and west coasts.
  6. ^ Erwin, Sandra (August 24, 2020). "ULA to launch Delta 4 Heavy for its 12th mission, four more to go before rocket is retired". SpaceNews. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Delta IV Heavy - NROL-70". Next Spaceflight. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Delta IV Payload Planner's Guide, June 2013" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  9. ^ "Delta 4-Heavy likely heading for geosynchronous orbit with top secret payload". Spaceflight Now. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Berger, Eric (January 21, 2019). "This massive rocket creates a fireball as it launches, and that's by design". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (April 20, 2018). "Delta IV Heavy: Powerful Launch Vehicle". Space.com. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "Delta 4-Heavy investigation identifies rocket's problem". Spaceflight Now. March 16, 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  13. ^ "Second Stage Ignites as First Stage Falls Away". December 5, 2014. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ^ "Delta IV Parker Solar Probe". ulalaunch.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "ULA's Delta rocket assembly line falls silent". Spaceflight Now.
  16. ^ Robert Z. Pearlman (April 9, 2024). "'Heavy' history: ULA launches final Delta rocket after 64 years (video, photos)". Space.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "Live coverage: Launch of Delta 4-Heavy rocket set for early Saturday". Spaceflight Now. August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Vulcan Centaur Cutaway Poster" (PDF). ULA. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Ray, Justin (December 7, 2004). "The Heavy: Triple-sized Delta 4 rocket to debut". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  20. ^ "Delta IV Payload Planners Guide" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. September 2007. pp. 1–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011.
  21. ^ US Air Force - EELV Fact Sheets Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Delta-4". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  23. ^ "NASA Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 PRESS KIT" (PDF). NASA. December 2014. p. 12. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  24. ^ "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  25. ^ "Launch Mission Execution Forecast". 45th Weather Squadron - Patrick Air Force Base. October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  26. ^ Clark, Stephen (June 22, 2023). "Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifts off with NRO spy satellite". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  27. ^ Graham, William (April 9, 2024). "Delta IV Heavy launches on final mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
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