Engineering:Delta IV Heavy

From HandWiki
Short description: Variant of the Delta IV space launch vehicle

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
  • Cape Canaveral, SLC-37
  • Vandenberg, SLC-6
Total launches16
Successes15
Partial failures1
First flightDecember 21, 2004 (USA-181)
Last flightApril 9, 2024 (NROL-70)
Notable payloads
Boosters – CBC
No. boosters2
Length40.8 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]
Engines1 × RS-68
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
FuelLH2 / LOX
First stage – CBC
Length40.8 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]
Engines1 × RS-68
Thrust3,140 kN (710,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSL: 360 s (3.5 km/s)
vac: 412 s (4.04 km/s)
Burn time334 seconds
FuelLH2 / LOX
Second stage – DCSS
Length13.7 m (45 ft)
Empty mass3,490 kg (7,690 lb)
Gross mass30,710 kg (67,700 lb)
Propellant mass27,220 kg (60,010 lb)
Engines1 × RL10-B-2
Thrust110 kN (25,000 lbf)
Specific impulse465.5 s (4.565 km/s)
Burn time1,125 seconds
FuelLH2 / 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 16th and 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[lower-alpha 1] 28,370 kg (62,550 lb)
LEO-ISS[lower-alpha 2] 25,980 kg (57,280 lb)
Polar[lower-alpha 3] 23,560 kg (51,940 lb)
MEO[lower-alpha 4] 8,450 kg (18,630 lb)
GTO[lower-alpha 5] 14,210 kg (31,330 lb)
GEO[lower-alpha 6] 6,580 kg (14,510 lb)
TLI[lower-alpha 7] 11,290 kg (24,890 lb)
TMI[lower-alpha 8] 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

This section is transcluded from List of Delta IV Heavy launches. (edit | history)

{{#section-h:List of Delta IV Heavy launches|Launch History}}

Comparable vehicles

Current:

Retired or cancelled:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ULA CEO Tory Bruno". https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/963109303291854848. "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. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Delta IV Heavy". http://www.spaceflight101.com/delta-iv-heavy.html. 
  3. ↑ Clark, Stephen (March 27, 2024). "The Delta IV Heavy, a rocket whose time has come and gone, will fly once more". https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/the-delta-iv-heavy-a-rocket-whose-time-has-come-and-gone-will-fly-once-more/. 
  4. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (February 6, 2018). "Falcon Heavy, SpaceX's Big New Rocket, Succeeds in Its First Test Launch". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/science/falcon-heavy-spacex-launch.html. "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. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d364/status.html. "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. https://spacenews.com/ula-to-launch-delta-4-heavy-for-its-12th-mission-four-more-to-go-before-rocket-is-retired/. 
  7. ↑ "Delta IV Heavy - NROL-70". Next Spaceflight. February 9, 2024. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/142. 
  8. ↑ "Delta IV Payload Planner's Guide, June 2013". United Launch Alliance. http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Launch_Vehicles/Delta_IV_Users_Guide_June_2013.pdf. 
  9. ↑ "Delta 4-Heavy likely heading for geosynchronous orbit with top secret payload". Spaceflight Now. August 26, 2020. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/26/delta-4-heavy-likely-heading-for-geosynchronous-orbit-with-top-secret-payload/. 
  10. ↑ Berger, Eric (January 21, 2019). "This massive rocket creates a fireball as it launches, and that's by design". https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/fire-engulfed-the-delta-iv-heavy-rocket-on-saturday-and-thats-normal/. 
  11. ↑ Howell, Elizabeth (April 20, 2018). "Delta IV Heavy: Powerful Launch Vehicle". Space.com. https://www.space.com/40360-delta-iv-heavy.html. 
  12. ↑ "Delta 4-Heavy investigation identifies rocket's problem". Spaceflight Now. March 16, 2005. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d310/050316rootcause.html. 
  13. ↑ "Second Stage Ignites as First Stage Falls Away". December 5, 2014. https://blogs.nasa.gov/orion/2014/12/05/second-stage-ignites-as-first-stage-falls-away/.  Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ↑ "Delta IV Parker Solar Probe". https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/archived-launched/delta-iv-parker-solar-probe. 
  15. ↑ "ULA's Delta rocket assembly line falls silent". https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/06/20/ulas-delta-rocket-assembly-line-falls-silent/. 
  16. ↑ "'Heavy' history: ULA launches final Delta rocket after 64 years (video, photos)" (in en). April 9, 2024. https://www.space.com/final-delta-4-heavy-rocket-launch-nrol-70. 
  17. ↑ "Live coverage: Launch of Delta 4-Heavy rocket set for early Saturday". Spaceflight Now. August 29, 2020. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/26/delta-385-mission-status-center/. 
  18. ↑ "Vulcan Centaur Cutaway Poster". ULA. https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/rockets/vulcancentaur.pdf. 
  19. ↑ Ray, Justin (December 7, 2004). "The Heavy: Triple-sized Delta 4 rocket to debut". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d310/041207preview.html. 
  20. ↑ "Delta IV Payload Planners Guide". United Launch Alliance. September 2007. pp. 1–7. http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/DeltaIVPayloadPlannersGuide2007.pdf. 
  21. ↑ US Air Force - EELV Fact Sheets

Template:United Launch Alliance



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Engineering:Delta_IV_Heavy&oldid=4126723"