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UPDATE: The Delta IV Heavy rocket launch has been postponed to Friday (March 29) at 1:37pm EDT due to an issue with the nitrogen gas pipeline. Live Science will host a live stream of the next launch attempt at that time.here it is Full statement Published by United Launch Alliance:
“The launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the National Reconnaissance Office’s NROL-70 mission was aborted due to an issue with the nitrogen gas pipeline that provides air pressure to the launch vehicle system. The launch is scheduled for Friday, March 29th at 1:37pm EDT. ”
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) final Delta rocket will lift off tomorrow (March 29) at 1:37 PM ET (5:37 PM GMT) on a classified mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) It is scheduled to be It lives here.
The launch marks the end of 64 years of service for the Delta rocket family, which aims to lift large payloads into space. The Delta IV Heavy rocket, marking its 16th launch since 2004, will carry sensitive cargo during its final liftoff from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
ULA has not disclosed the nature of the payload it will send into space, but Live Science’s sister site says it will likely consist of a high-performance satellite. space dot com. The NRO is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense tasked with designing and operating surveillance satellites, but the nature and purpose of its reconnaissance systems is rarely disclosed to the public.
All we know about the current mission is its name, NROL-70, and when it is scheduled to launch. Watch Live on ULA Webcastembedded below.
“NROL-70’s mission is to provide a wide range of timely information to national decision makers, warfighters, and intelligence analysts to protect national vital interests and support humanitarian efforts around the world. It will strengthen the capabilities of the NRO,” ULA representatives wrote.be mission statement.
Related: China will launch a giant reusable rocket next year in preparation for a manned mission to the moon
It is unclear whether the Delta rocket will actually take off at the newly announced time, as surface winds and cumulus clouds create unfavorable conditions that have already caused delays. According to the report, the 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 30% chance that the weather will be calm enough for the launch on Thursday, and a 60% chance that conditions will be favorable on Friday (March 29). space flight now.
ULA President and CEO Tori Bruno said at a news conference that surface winds are a particular concern because of the risk of the rocket being blown into the launch tower.
“It depends on the wind angle,” Bruno said. “We have a very limited window of time to launch, so if the winds calm down for even a few minutes, we’ll take that opportunity to launch.”
The Delta IV Heavy rocket is not the only rocket reaching the end of its career, with ULA also planning to retire the Atlas V. The space launch company is making way for the new Vulcan Centaur rocket. Controversial first mission — Sending Astrobotic’s ill-fated Peregrine lunar module to the moon’s surface — Released in early January. Although the Peregrine spacecraft was successfully launched, caused a fuel leak Almost immediately, shorten the mission It will then crash into Earth’s atmosphere on January 19th.
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