The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Space => Topic started by: Elderberry on March 16, 2019, 02:31:29 am
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SPACE NEWS by Sandra Erwin — March 15, 2019
This was the second to last mission for the Delta 4 medium. ULA will retire the vehicle later this summer after the launch of an Air Force GPS satellite.
The U.S. Air Force’s 10th Wideband Global Satcom communications satellite (WGS-10) atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket blasted off on Friday at 8:26 PM EST from Space Launch Complex-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The Delta 4 medium “single stick†rocket — with one hydrogen-fueled common booster core, four solid rocket motors and a Delta Cryogenic Second Stage — lifted off after a delay caused by issues with NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The tracking network must be available for liftoff to occur.
The $424 million WGS-10 satellite encapsulated inside a 5-meter-diameter payload fairing marked the eighth flight of the Delta 4 in the medium configuration, all of which have been WGS missions. This was the 39th launch of the Delta 4 since it was introduced in 2002. It was ULA’s 133rd mission.
More: https://spacenews.com/air-force-launches-wgs-10-communications-satellite/ (https://spacenews.com/air-force-launches-wgs-10-communications-satellite/)