Delta IV Heavy Delta IV Heavy Upgrade

Delta IV Heritage

Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle

Delta IV Heavy History

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Delta IV Heavy Model Configuration

Payload

Fairing

Starboard Strap-on

Common Booster

Core

Center Common

Booster Core

Port Strap-on

Common

Booster Core

Delta IV Heavy Model Configuration

Payload

Fairing

Starboard Strap-on

Common Booster

Core

Center Common

Booster Core

Port Strap-on Common

Booster Core

Credit: United Launch Alliance

Delta IV Heavy Configuration

1. Payload Fairing

2. Acoustic Blankets

3. Spacecraft

4. Payload Attach Fitting

5. Second-Stage Fuel (H) Tank

6. Second-Stage Intertank Truss

Assembly

7. High Pressure Helium Bottle

8. Second-Stage Oxidizer (L02)

Tank

9. Strap-on Nosecone

10. Second-Stage Equipment

Shelf

11. Hydrazine Bottle

12. Interstage Adapter

13. Second-Stage Engine (RL10)

14. Strap-on Strut Assembly

15. First-Stage Oxidizer (L02) Tank

16. Anti-slosh Baffle

17. Centerbody

18. First-Stage Fuel (LH2) Tank

19. First-Stage Oxidizer (L02)

Feedline

20. Port Strap-on Common

Booster Core

21. Center Common Booster

Core

22. Starboard Strap-on

Common Booster Core

23. Isogrid Structure

24. First-Stage Fuel (LH2)

Feedline

25. Thermal Shield

26. First-Stage Engine (RS-68)

The Delta 4 Heavy launch vehicle configuration consists of one

center common booster core (CBC) and two strap-on CBCs

powered by Rocketdyne RS-68A engines that burn liquid

hydrogen and liquid oxygen, and a payload fairing.

The approximately 232 ft in height rocket is launched from

Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

in Florida and Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air

Force Base in California.

The major components of the vehicle are:

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2

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21

20

18 19

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15

14

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10 11

13

9 8

3

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6 7

First Delta IV Heavy Launch The Boeing Delta IV Heavy was first launched

on December 21, 2004 from Space Launch

Complex 37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station, FL.

The inaugural flight payload included a

demonstration DemoSat and two low Earth orbit

Microsats.

However, the center common booster core

(CBC) shut down 9 seconds early and the two

strap-on CBCs shut down 8 seconds early.

- The second stage compensated for the early

shutdowns.

- The DemoSat payload achieved the correct

geosynchronous transfer orbit but the two

Microsats failed to orbit.

- The Delta IV CBCs were retrofitted with new

pressure valves to alleviate cavitation in the

liquid oxygen fuel lines that possibly occurred in

the during the flight.

-- The cavitation, or bubbling, is a localized

condition where the super-cold oxidizer changed

from liquid to vapor within the feed lines running

from the rocket's tanks to the engines causing

the them to shutdown early. Credit: The Boeing Company

The first operational flight of the United Launch

Alliance Delta IV Heavy successfully launched

the Defense Support Program flight 23 satellite

(DSP-23).

The rocket is shown launching the early

warning satellite from Space Launch Complex

37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on

November 11, 2011.

- DSP-23 marked the end of a 36 year era of

DSP satellites.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) was formed in

December 2006 bringing together two launch

industry teams to provide space launch

services for the United States government.

ULA is a 50-50 joint venture between

Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company.

- U.S. government launch customers include:

the Department of Defense, NASA, the National

Reconnaissance Office and other

organizations.

Credit: U.S. Air Force

First Successful Operational Delta IV Heavy Launch

The first launch of the United Launch Alliance

Delta IV Heavy from Space Launch Complex-

6 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA was

on January 20, 2011.

The rocket successfully orbited a National

Reconnaissance Office payload (NROL-49).

The rocket was the largest to ever launch

from the West Coast of the United States.

During the launch, a large fireball of unburnt

hydrogen emerged from the launch table

engulfing the center common booster core

(CBC) and the two strap-on CBCs in flames.

- The hydrogen burn-off caused the foam

insulation on the CBCs to catch fire.

-- The flames were extinguished during

vertical ascent.

- A staggered ignition was implemented to

reduce the flame.

-- As the starboard engine runs, it aspirates

the gaseous hydrogen coming from the port

and center engines, directing the H2 down the

launch table into the flame deflector where

the H2 can burn instead of rising and creating

the large fireball.

First Delta IV Heavy Launch from Vandenberg

Credit: United Launch Alliance

First Delta IV Heavy Upgrade Launch An upgrade of the Delta IV Heavy was

first successfully flight tested during a

launch on June 29, 2012 from Space

Launch Complex 37B, Cape Canaveral

Air Force Station, FL.

The upgraded rocket lifted the National

Reconnaissance Office NROL-15 payload

(NROL-15).

The center and two strap-on common

booster cores were powered by the

higher performance RS-68A engine.

- The three engines produced a

combined liftoff thrust of nearly 2.1 million

lbs, approximately a 6 percent increase

from the previous RS-68 engine thrust.

-- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne developed

the RS-68A specifically to be able to lift

the NROL-15 payload.

Credit: U.S. Air Force

Launch Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy Upgrade is

scheduled to launch an un-crewed Orion Multi-Purpose

Crew Vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

(CCAFS), FL on December 4, 2014.

The Orion spacecraft will take astronauts beyond low

Earth orbit to deep space.

- It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the

crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from

deep space.

The Exploration Flight Test-1 will test the Orion Crew

Module’s orbital ability and re-entry capabilities.

- The capsule will dive into Earth's atmosphere giving

engineers key data on how the spacecraft responds to a

re-entry at speeds closely replicating what the vehicle

will see when returning from deep space missions.

The Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle has a center

common booster core (CBC) and two strap-on CBCs

powered by RS-68A cryogenic engines.

- The second stage is also cryogenic powered by a Pratt

and Whitney RL-10B2 engine.

This Delta IV Heavy, shown with Orion, was originally

photographed launching a National Reconnaissance

Office classified payload in November 2010 from

CCAFS, FL.

Strap-on

Common

Booster

Core

2nd Stage

Orion

Crew

Vehicle

Credit: U.S. Air Force and

Lockheed Martin

Center

Common

Booster

Core

Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 Vehicle

Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 is the first planned un-crewed test flight of the Orion Multi-

Purpose Crew Vehicle.

The EFT-1 Delta IV Heavy rocket and the SM with the Delta IV second stage will take

Orion to an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above the Earth.

- By flying Orion out to that distance, NASA will be able to see how Orion performs in and

returns from deep space journeys.

After the test flight, the Orion CM will separate from the SM and re-enter the atmosphere

at a speed of over 20,000 miles per hour, faster than any current human spacecraft.

- As Orion reenters the atmosphere, it will endure temperatures up to 4,000º F, higher than

any human spacecraft since astronauts returned from the Moon.

- Orion will land in the water and be recovered.

The EFT-1 flight will play an important role in the finalization of Orion’s design and will

increase efficiencies and reduce risk.

- It is equivalent to the 1967 Apollo 4 mission which validated the Apollo flight control system

and the heat shield at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.

Credit: NASA

Service Module

(SM)

Crew Module

(CM)

Select Image

for Animation

Delta IV

Second

Stage

The Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) near Space

Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station, FL is used to process the Delta launch

vehicles.

Work areas are used for assembly and checkout to

provide fully integrated launch vehicles ready for

transfer to the launch pad.

Inside the HIF (left), United Launch Alliance

technicians prepare the second stage of the Delta IV

Heavy rocket for mating to the center common core

booster for the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1).

Orion EFT-1 Delta IV Heavy Assembly

The Mobile Service Tower (MST), shown on the right, provides

environmental protection and access to the launch vehicle prior to

and after mating it to the Launch Table (LT) in the vertical position.

The MST includes an overhead bridge crane with a 300 ft hook

height capacity.

The LT supports the vehicle on the pad.

The Fixed Pad Erector uses two long-stroke hydraulic pistons to

raise the vehicle to the vertical position after being rolled to the

pad from the HIF.

The EFT-1 Delta IV Heavy rocket is shown, after it was raised to

the vertical position in the MST, on the pad at Space Launch

Complex 37 on October 1, 2014.

The MST moves on rails to a parked position during final launch

countdown.

Credit: Aerojet

Rocketdyne

Credit: NASA

Credit: NASA

No. Date Type Type of

Payload

Launch

Site

Outcome Remarks

1 December 21,

2004

Heavy Demonstration

payload

CCAFS Success First launch

2 November 11,

2007

Heavy Missile warning

satellite

CCAFS

Success First operational launch

3 January 18,

2009

Heavy Reconnaissance

satellite

CCAFS

Success

4 November 21,

2010

Heavy Reconnaissance

satellite

CCAFS Success

5 January 20,

2011

Heavy Reconnaissance

satellite

VAFB Success First launch from VAFB

6 June 29,

2012

Upgrade Reconnaissance

satellite

CCAFS Success First upgrade launch

7 August 28,

2013

Upgrade Reconnaissance

satellite

VAFB Success

8 December 4,

2014

Upgrade NASA Orion

EFT-1

CCAFS First flight test of Orion

CM (no crew)

Delta IV Heavy Launch History

Legend:

CCAFS Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL

CM Crew Module

EFT-1 Exploration Flight Test-1

VAFB Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

Delta IV Heavy Heritage

Credit: U.S. Federal Aviation

Administration

The Delta launch vehicle program was initiated in the late 1950s by NASA.

The Delta vehicle was developed as an interim space launch vehicle using a modified Thor

missile as the first stage and Vanguard components as the second and third stages capable

of delivering payloads of 120 lbs to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit and 400 lbs to Low

Earth Orbit.

The Delta program has culminated in the current Delta family of launch vehicles, with a

wide range of increasing capabilities.

Reference Information Text and Images:

http://www.afspc.af.mil/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/

www.ulalaunch.com/

http://www.boeing.com/

http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.spaceflight101.com/

www.nasa.gov/

http://www.nasa.gov/

Propulsion for the 21st Century - RS-68, AIAA 2002-4324, B. K. Wood, The Boeing

Company, Rocketdyne Propulsion - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

paper summarizes the development of the RS-68 engine &

Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 Animation:

http://youtu.be/lMQ8g2fNHOs?list=UUq7FCASmpEVrFV5-e5NwVAA

End

The Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle major components include:

The Delta IV common booster core (CBC) is 16.7 ft in diameter and 133.9 ft long.

- The CBC is constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes,

machined aluminum tank skirts, and a composite centerbody.

Delta IV first-stage propulsion is provided by the RS-68 engine system.

- The RS-68 burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and delivers 663,000 Ibf of

thrust at sea level.

- The booster's cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on

insulation and helium-purged insulation blankets.

- The Delta IV vehicle is controlled by an avionics system, which provides guidance, flight

control, and vehicle sequencing functions during CBC and second-stage phases of flight.

The Delta IV Heavy configuration employs two additional CBCs as strap-on liquid rocket

boosters to augment the first-stage CBC.

The spacecraft is encapsulated inside the 16.8 ft payload fairing, consisting of a composite

bisector (two-piece shell) or optional trisector (three-piece shell) fairing.

The second-stage is 16.7 ft in diameter and 42.8 ft long.

- The propellant tanks are constructed of isogrid aluminum ring forgings, spun-formed

aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts and a composite intertank truss.

- The second-stage is also a cryogenic liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle.

- It uses a single RL10 engine that produces 24,750 Ibf of thrust.

- An equipment shelf attached to the aft dome of the second-stage liquid oxygen tank

provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics.

The structural and electronic interfaces with the satellite are provided via the payload

attach fitting.

Delta IV Heavy Major Components Sheet 1

The RS-68 engine (left) is undergoing hot-fire testing on July 6,

2000 at Stennis Space Center during its developmental phase.

The nearly transparent exhaust is due to the engine's exhaust

being mostly superheated steam (water vapor from its

propellants, hydrogen and oxygen).

The RS-68 is capable of operating in and transitioning

between full power and minimum power upon command from

the vehicle.

The engine also supplies pressurization gasses to thrust

vector and roll control by gimbaling the thrust chamber

assembly and the fuel turbine exhaust roll control nozzle,

respectively.

The engine is designed and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne,

Canoga Park, CA.

Delta IV Heavy RS-68 Engine Sheet 2

The RS-68 engine schematic is shown on the right.

High-pressure hot gases from the gas generator

power, in parallel, the two turbines.

- The turbopumps are single-shaft with direct drive

turbines.

High-pressure ducting delivers pumped fuel and

LO2 (LOX) to the injector/thrust chamber assembly.

The thrust chamber/nozzle assembly consists of a

combustion chamber and an ablative nozzle.

- The expansion of the gases through the chamber

and the nozzle produce thrust.

Credit: NASA

Credit: Aerojet

Rocketdyne

Thor and Vanguard Launch Vehicles:

Thor was the first operational ballistic missile deployed by the U.S. Air Force.

- Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between

1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear

warheads.

Vanguard rockets were used by Project Vanguard from 1957 to 1959.

- Vanguard was intended to be the first launch vehicle the U.S. would use to place a satellite

into orbit.

-- Instead, the surprise launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 led the U.S., after the failure of

Vanguard TV3, to quickly orbit the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno I rocket, making Vanguard

I the second successful U.S. orbital launch.

-- Three successful launches of eleven placed satellites into orbit.

Delta Launch Vehicles:

Delta is an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell

Douglas and continued by Boeing and United Launch Alliance.

- A four-digit system is used to identify the specific Delta configurations.

-- The numbers and letters indicate the major configuration elements.

The Delta II entered service in 1989 and delivers a capacity of 5,960 - 13,440 lbs to low

Earth orbit (LEO).

- Delta II is available in a number of configurations within the following series: 7300, 7400,

and 7900.

The first Delta III launch was on August 26, 1998 and had the capability to deliver a capacity

of 18,280 lbs to LEO.

- The Delta III is referred to as the Delta 8930.

Delta IV Heavy Heritage Sheet 1

Delta Launch Vehicles (Continued):

The Delta IV entered service in 1989 and delivers a capacity of 20,750 - 63,470 lbs to LEO.

The newest member of the Delta family is the Delta IV launch system which comes in five

vehicle configurations.

- Each has a first-stage, called the Common Booster Core (CBC), using cryogenic

propellants.

The Delta IV Medium employs a first-stage CBC, a cryogenic second stage, and a 13.4 ft

diameter composite Payload Fairing (PLF).

The Delta IV M+ vehicle comes in three different configurations.

- The Delta IV M+(4,2) configuration uses two strap-on Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) to

augment the first-stage CBC, a cryogenic second stage, and a 13.4 ft diameter composite

PLF.

- The other two configurations are the Delta IV M+(5,2) and Delta IV M+(5,4) that have two

and four SRMs, respectively, to augment the first-stage CBC.

-- Both of these configurations employ a cryogenic second stage, and a 16.8 ft diameter

composite PLF.

The Delta IV Heavy employs two additional CBCs as strap-on Liquid Rocket Boosters to

augment the first-stage CBC, a cryogenic second stage, and either a 16.8 ft diameter

composite or metallic PLF.

Delta IV Heavy Heritage Sheet 2