DocM Posted December 17, 2018 Author Share Posted December 17, 2018 (edited) Forecasted high surface winds Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Yep, it's likely gonna be a slip. ULA are the most conservative bunch around. Draggendrop 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 18, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 18, 2018 Hopefully the weather holds for the launch window...would be a great day with 4 launches....barrel of popcorn and SpaceX coffee mug at the ready... Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Love busy days like the ones we're supposed to have tomorrow. Xenon and Draggendrop 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 18, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 18, 2018 Quote Dec. 18/19 Delta 4-Heavy • NROL-71 Launch time: 0157 GMT on 19th (8:57 p.m. EST; 5:57 p.m. PST on 18th) Launch site: SLC-6, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from Sept. 26. Moved forward from Dec. 3. Delayed from Nov. 29. Scrubbed on Dec. 7 by an issue with holdfire circuitry. Scrubbed on Dec. 8 at T-minus 7.5 seconds. [Dec. 13] https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ ULA site for NROL-71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 18, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 18, 2018 Quote DELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-71 • Rocket: Delta IV Heavy • Mission: NROL-71 • Launch Date: Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 • Launch Time: 5:57 p.m. PST • Launch Broadcast: Live commentary will begin at 5:37 p.m. PST • Launch Location: Space Launch Complex 6, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California Mission Information: United Launch Alliance will use the Delta IV Heavy rocket to launch the NROL-71 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Launch Notes: This will be 132nd mission for United Launch Alliance and ULA's second Delta IV Heavy launch in less than four months. It is the 382nd Delta launch since 1960, the 38th for a Delta IV rocket since 2002 and the 11th Delta IV Heavy. Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch,twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #DeltaIV #NROL71 https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71 Quote The Delta IV rocket United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket has served the nation’s high-priority U.S. Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office space programs with distinction since entering service in 2002. The vehicle also launched NASA’s Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to become the fastest robot in history while surfing through the sun’s atmosphere. Having flown 37 missions in a variety of configurations ranging from medium-lift to heavy-lifter, the Delta IV continues the legacy of the Delta rocket family that dates to 1960. NROL-71 will launch aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket features three hydrogen-fueled common booster cores and a Delta Cryogenic Second Stage. The payload is protected during atmospheric ascent by a composite payload fairing. Specs Height: 233 feet Weight: 1.6 million pounds Thrust: 2.1 million pounds Fuel: 465,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 18, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 18, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 18, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 18, 2018 I am not having a proper launch viewing session today....my popcorn is going stale. DocM 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 20, 2018 Global Moderator Share Posted December 20, 2018 ...and scrubbed. 24-hour recycle (20 Dec @ 1731 PST). Possible hydrogen leak in the port booster engine section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 I'm getting a bad feeling about this bird Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Yeah. This one's gonna be a no-go for a while, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 Made on a Monday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 23, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 23, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted December 28, 2018 Author Share Posted December 28, 2018 Delayed again Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Dec. 28, 2018 (ULA PR) The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-71 mission will launch no earlier than Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. The mission will launch from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted December 29, 2018 Veteran Share Posted December 29, 2018 At least Iridium has slot rank on Delta IV...could interfere with RTLS though....I really hate this silliness...can't launch your sat on time...move over...everybody else does. Matt forgot how to count and it sounded like a slip...has not slipped...as of today, launch still... At the end of the day though, SpaceX always pulls through and may "give" January 7th for a 24 hr slip if asked...they will want to RTLS the booster...too valuable to mess with...and a few days will not really change Iridium plans. DocM 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 Now I'm *really* getting a bad feeling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingskippy Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 This rocket is fubar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted January 5, 2019 Veteran Share Posted January 5, 2019 I am not sure what to think about this situation...could it be... 1) infrequent assembly and inspection. 2) loss of talent with employee down sizing of late. 3) manufacturing error...if the other remaining boosters are complete before phase-out...this will require an inspection. 4) can this system be torn down and reassembled...or could it be toast. This has been happening over the last few years and getting worse. They need to keep an eye on quality and finish the designated contracts before phasing into Vulcan. This could turn out bad unless they get a grip on this immediately...no one wants to see a disaster. Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 Thing is this is a big KH-11 spysat, an earlier block of which is what Hubble was based on. Damed hard & expensive to replace. Time for USAF to bite the bullet; fund vertical integration and a Group 3 (longer) fairing for Falcon Heavy. Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggendrop Veteran Posted January 5, 2019 Veteran Share Posted January 5, 2019 6 minutes ago, DocM said: Thing is this is a big KH-11 spysat, an earlier block of which is what Hubble was based on. Damed hard & expensive to replace. Time for USAF to bite the bullet; fund vertical integration and a Group 3 (longer) fairing for Falcon Heavy. There are still a few more launches to go as well before phase out. Time to look at other providers options, now. When you think of it, SpaceX with 60+ F9 launches and FH set for 2 launches in a few months...and these guys are still playing politics......serves them right...the solution is on a pad next door and in Florida. DocM, Unobscured Vision and bguy_1986 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I still believe that the rocket suffered major damage from the almost-detonation aborted launch a few weeks back. bguy_1986, DocM and Draggendrop 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Unobscured Vision said: I still believe that the rocket suffered major damage from the almost-detonation aborted launch a few weeks back. I do not buy the "there was no ignition" story, at all. Nope. Draggendrop and Unobscured Vision 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Same. It was clearly alight and the ignition sequence was underway. Smoke does not simply appear from nowhere. Those engines were lit, however briefly; and the water deluge/quench system is the only thing that saved everything within 2000' of a very destructive event. Rocket was about to go kaboom, big-time. bguy_1986 and DocM 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beittil Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Ow well, at least Iridium can go up then... No more ULA stealing their slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted January 15, 2019 Global Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2019 Quote ULA Delta IV Heavy NROL-71 Set to Launch Jan. 19, 2019 (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Jan. 15, 2019) -- The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-71 mission has been scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19 from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 11:05 a.m. PST. ULA bguy_1986 and Unobscured Vision 1 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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