REPLAY: United Launch Alliance Delta IV Rocket Successfully Launches From Cape Canaveral
By Space Coast Daily // March 16, 2019
Launch happened at 8:26 p.m. ET
ABOVE VIDEO: Watch live as ULA’s Delta IV rocket lifts off with the 10th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-10) mission for the U.S. Air Force. (Forward to 1:39:00 to see the beginning of launch)
BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Friday night.
The rocket departed Space Launch Complex-37 at 8:26 p.m. EDT on its mission for the U.S. Air Force.
The solid rocket motors separated about 100 seconds into flight, followed by the payload fairing at three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. Staging and ignition of the second stage came a minute later.
The first burn of the second stage lasted just over 15 minutes to achieve a preliminary orbit. After a 10-minute coast, a second burn of less than three-and-a-half minutes reached a super-synchronous transfer orbit. Deployment of WGS-10 came 37 minutes after launch.
Today’s eight-and-a-half-hour countdown started at 10:26 a.m. EDT under the guidance of ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney. The Mobile Service Tower was retracted in the early portion of the countdown, the pad was configured and then cleared of all personnel.
The “go” for fueling was given by ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III at 2:45 p.m. Tanking operations were successfully performed as 170,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were placed into the rocket’s four tanks. The clear to launch was given at 8:19 p.m. EDT by Air Force Mission Director Col. Shane Clark.
Mission Information: The 10th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-10) satellite, the fourth Block II follow-on satellite, supports communications links in the X-band and Ka-band spectra. While Block I and II satellites can instantaneously filter and downlink up to 4.410 GHz, WGS-10 can filter and downlink up to 8.088 GHz of bandwidth.
Depending on the mix of ground terminals, data rates and modulation and coding schemes employed, a single WGS satellite can support data transmission rates over 6 Gbps, and WGS-10 with its advanced digital channelizer may support over 11 Gbps.
Launch Notes: WGS-10 will be the eighth flight of the Delta IV in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration; all launches in this configuration have delivered WGS missions to orbit. This mission also will be the 39th launch of the Delta IV since its inaugural launch in 2002.
ABOVE VIDEO: ULA Delta IV launch scheduled for Friday at 6:56 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
