ULA Delta IV launch from Cape Canaveral pushed to next month
The planned liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral has been delayed to February, according to Air Force Space Command.
ULA Delta IV launch from Cape Canaveral pushed to next month The planned liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral has been delayed to February, according to Air Force Space Command. Check out this story on floridatoday.com: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/01/04/ula-delta-iv-launch-cape-canaveral-pushed-next-month/2484342002/
Emre Kelly, Florida Today Published 2:54 p.m. ET Jan. 4, 2019 | Updated 1:26 p.m. ET Jan. 5, 2019
United Launch Alliance's Delta IV rocket stands on the pad at Launch Complex 37 ahead of the WGS-9 launch on Saturday, March 18, 2017.(Photo: United Launch Alliance)
Originally planned for Jan. 23, the mission to launch a military communications satellite was pushed back to an unannounced date next month, giving teams more time to prepare the rocket and payload at Launch Complex 37.
Secured atop a single-core Delta IV rocket will be the 10th Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, which will eventually deliver modern communications capabilities for all branches of the U.S. military and allies. WGS-10 is the program's final flight.
The mission will mark one of two Delta IV launches for 2019, a rarely launched rocket that primarily focuses on government spacecraft. The second mission, slated for no earlier than April, will take the second of the Air Force's next-generation Global Positioning System satellites to a medium-Earth orbit.
The next launch for the Eastern Range is still slated for Jan. 17, though the ongoing partial government shutdown could affect the launch date due to the absence of NASA, which is the contracting agency. SpaceX will launch an uncrewed demonstration flight of its Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A to the International Space Station. After its departure, it will target an automated landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
[Update, Jan. 5: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk early Saturday said the first Crew Dragon launch will now happen no earlier than February]
NASA contracted both SpaceX and Boeing to launch their spacecraft to the ISS. The latter is expected to conduct its uncrewed mission no earlier than March. Only after uncrewed missions are completed can the companies fly crewed demonstration flights.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
Photos: Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral with AEHF-4
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the military's AEHF-4 military communications satellite on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. MALCOLM DENEMARK / FLORIDA TODAY
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday, Oct 17, 2018, carrying the AEHF-4 communications satellite for the Air Force. Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Wednesday, Oct 17, 2018, so. The rocket is carrying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency 4 communications satellite for the US Air Force Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY, FLORIDA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK
As seen from Viera: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the AEHF-4 military communications satellite on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. TIM SHORTT / FLORIDA TODAY
As seen from Viera: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the AEHF-4 military communications satellite on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY
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