Spaceflight Now | Delta Launch Report



Boeing's Delta 4 rocket debuts successfully The era of Boeing's next-generation rocket family was launched with success Wednesday as the maiden Delta 4 powered its way into Earth orbit to deploy a European-made communications satellite. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: FIRST DELTA 4 ROCKET BLASTS OFF QT or RV VIDEO: 6-MINUTE LAUNCH CLIP (PLUS ONBOARD CAMERAS) QT or RV VIDEO: SUCCESSFUL PAYLOAD DEPLOY IS DECLARED QT or RV VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH COMMENTS FROM OFFICIALS QT or RV VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH BOEING'S SCHLUTER QT or RV VIDEO: TAKE TOUR OF LAUNCH PAD 37B QT or RV MORE: SEE FULL DELTA 4 VIDEO LISTING SUBSCRIBE NOW
Delta 4 to loft Eutelsat's W5 communications satellite Located over the Indian Ocean at 70.5 degrees East, Eutelsat's new W5 Ku-band satellite completes a successful family of birds that have been serving a wide range of customers since 1998. W5 is a key element in Eutelsat's strategic objective of geographic expansion on the dynamic Euro-Asian route, stretching the company's coverage to the Pacific. FULL STORY

Delta 4 to fly Tuesday Boeing exonerated the RL-10 upper stage engine during reviews Sunday, clearing the way for Monday's Launch Readiness Review that will formally put to rest an issue that prompted officials to cancel Saturday's liftoff attempt. MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!

Boeing delays debut launch of Delta 4 rocket Boeing won't send its first Delta 4 rocket into space Saturday as planned after a last-minute engine issue was raised and meteorologists predicted virtually no hope of favorable weather conditions. FULL STORY

Delta 4 voyage will be tension-filled 37 minutes The first Boeing Delta 4 rocket will race from its Florida launch pad into an orbit stretching 19,000 nautical miles above Earth Saturday to deploy its European-built communications satellite cargo at the culmination of a 37-minute flight. LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP LAUNCH HAZARD AREA LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST [Updated: Nov. 14]

Delta 4 fleet goes from 'Medium' to 'Heavy' Delta rockets have been flying for more than 40 years, but the new Delta 4 dwarfs its predecessors in sheer size and Earth-shaking power to launch much larger cargos than possible in the past. FULL STORY LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST [Updated: Nov. 13]

New engine allows Delta 4 to 'defeat gravity' Powering the Delta 4 is Rocketdyne's RS-68 powerplant, the first large all-American liquid-fueled rocket engine built since the space shuttle main engine a quarter-century ago. FULL STORY VIDEO LISTING

Delta 4 rocket to make maiden flight Saturday Boeing's next-generation Delta 4 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral this weekend on its debut launch to shape its destiny in the fiercely competitive commercial marketplace and prove reliability to the vehicle's major backer -- the U.S. Air Force. FULL STORY LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST [Posted: Nov. 12]

Recent News

Cargo mounted atop Delta 4 as debut launch nears With less than two weeks until its much-anticipated first flight, the Boeing Delta 4 rocket was fitted with its commercial communications satellite cargo Tuesday at Cape Canaveral's launch pad 37B. FULL STORY [Posted: November 5]

New Delta 4 rocket fires engine on the launch pad Belching flame and roaring like a lion, Boeing's inaugural Delta 4 rocket did everything but lift off during a successful countdown rehearsal October 14 that was capped by a dramatic engine firing on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 37B. FULL STORY [Posted: October 14] MISSION STATUS CENTER

Video coverage for subscribers only: VIDEO: DELTA 4 MAIN ENGINE FIRED ON LAUNCH PAD QT or RV VIDEO: 2-MINUTE CLIP OF FINAL COUNT THOUGH SAFING QT or RV VIDEO: CLOSE UP VIEW OF ROCKET'S BASE QT or RV VIDEO: OUR VIEW FROM THE CAPE PRESS SITE QT or RV VIDEO: DIFFERENT PAD CAMERA OF THE FIRING QT or RV VIDEO: ANGLE SHOWING PAD'S FLAME TRENCH QT or RV SUBSCRIBE NOW
Delta 4 software changes tested; new issue found Boeing checked out its debugged Delta 4 countdown software late last week during a test in which the inaugural rocket was fueled up on its Cape Canaveral launch pad, but a new glitch was uncovered. FULL STORY [Posted: September 30]

Delta 4 test to check tweaked ground software Boeing is planning to run a crucial Delta 4 countdown test this week to check ground software, which officials hope will clear the way for a dramatic engine firing on the launch pad early next month. FULL STORY [Posted: September 22]

Software trouble delays first Boeing Delta 4 launch The debut launch of Boeing's Delta 4 rocket has been delayed almost a month while ground software designed to automate the final minutes of the countdown is debugged. Originally scheduled for October 9, the company has picked November 3 as the new launch date. FULL STORY [Posted: September 8]

Delta 4 rocket put through countdown rehearsal Boeing conducted its first countdown rehearsal with the Delta 4 rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 on Monday evening, fueling the new expendable booster in a simulation of launch day activities. FULL STORY [Posted: August 27]

Delta 4 rocket undergoes first cryogenic tanking test Boeing technicians pumped super-cold liquid oxygen into both stages of the inaugural Delta 4 rocket for the first time early Thursday, completing the initial step in a series of fueling tests at Cape Canaveral's rebuilt launch pad 37B. FULL STORY [Posted: August 1]

Fueling, countdown tests ahead for first Delta 4 Super-cold rocket fuel will be pumped into Boeing's inaugural Delta 4 rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 for the first time next week as the company kicks off a sequence of launch pad tests that will culminate with an engine firing at the end of August. FULL STORY [Posted: July 18] PHOTO GALLERY OF COMPLEX 37

Boeing pushes back target date for first Delta 4 launch The inaugural flight of Boeing's Delta 4 has been postponed from the end of August to around October 9 because testing of the brand-new rocket is running behind schedule at Cape Canaveral's newly rebuilt launch pad 37B. FULL STORY [Posted: July 8]

Delta 4 rocket takes its place on the launch pad With four months left until its crucial maiden voyage, the first Boeing Delta 4 rocket was moved to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 on Tuesday to begin an extensive campaign of testing and final pre-flight preparations. FULL STORY [Posted: May 1]

Delta 4 rocket assembled; next stop is the launch pad The two stages of Boeing's inaugural Delta 4 rocket have been joined together inside a massive hangar at Cape Canaveral's newly refurbished Complex 37 as preparations continue for a targeted July 15 blastoff carrying a communications satellite for Eutelsat. FULL STORY [Posted: January 28]

Rocketdyne RS-68 engine certified for Boeing Delta 4 The certification of the Rocketdyne RS-68 engine that will power Boeing's new Delta 4 launch vehicle brings to a close a remarkable development path for the first large liquid-fueled engine in the United States in nearly three decades. FULL STORY [Posted: January 28]

Delta 4 pad dedicated, first customer confirmed Boeing dedicated its new launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 on October 9 where Delta 4 rockets will lift off from starting next April. A company official, meanwhile, confirmed that the inaugural launch will carry a Eutelsat commercial telecommunications satellite, which had been rumored for some time. BOEING RELEASE ON DEDICATION

Boeing's Delta 4 test rocket rolled to Cape launch pad For the first time a rocket is sitting atop Boeing's launch pad for the new millennium at Cape Canaveral as activities continue for the maiden flight of the Delta 4 next spring. FULL STORY [Posted: August 26, 2001]

Boeing's Delta 4 testing rocket arrives in Florida Fresh off its series of critical test firings, Boeing's Delta 4 pathfinder rocket has arrived at Cape Canaveral to ensure the state-of-the-art launch facilities being built at Complex 37 are ready to handle the maiden flight of the next-generation launcher in March. FULL STORY [Posted: May 29, 2001]

Heart of Boeing's Delta 4 rocket put to the test The new rocket stage and liquid-fueled main engine that are the essence of Boeing's next-generation Delta 4 commercial launcher have, in all likelihood, completed a round of crucial firings at the same complex where NASA tested its Saturn 5 rocketships that carried men to the moon more than 30 years ago. FULL STORY [Posted: May 7, 2001]

Boeing building new launch pad for 21st century At a Florida launch site where humans made crucial strides toward the moon 30 years ago, The Boeing Company today is transforming the hallowed grounds into a gateway to Earth orbit for futuristic rockets. FULL STORY [Posted: March 3, 2000]

Flight data file
Vehicle: Delta 4
Payload: Eutelsat W5
Launch date: Nov. 20, 2002
Launch window: 2239-2349 GMT (5:39-6:49 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Satellite broadcast: AMC 2, Transponder 13, Ku-band, Frequency 11960 MHz Vertical

Pre-launch briefing
Mission overview - Our story looking at the importance of this first Delta 4.

Launch timeline - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch.

Launch windows - Listing of the times to launch in coming days.

Ground track - See the trajectory the rocket will follow during its flight.

Launch hazard area - A map of the restricted area during liftoff.

Delta 4 rocket - Technical story of the new Delta 4 rocket family.

RS-68 engine - Overview of the new hydrogen-fueled main engine that powers Delta 4.

Eutelsat W5 - Fact sheet on the Delta 4's communications satellite payload.

Video listing - Directory of Delta 4 video clips for Spaceflight Now Plus users.

Archived Delta 4 coverage - Listing of our past stories on the first Delta 4 flight.

Delta index - A directory of our previous Delta launch coverage.

Now showing
For Spaceflight Now+Plus service (subscribers only):

Preview the maiden flight of Boeing's Delta 4 rocket with this animated movie of a Delta 4 Medium+ 4,2 configuration. (1min 37sec file)
QuickTime or RealVideo

Boeing's new Delta 4 rocket undergoes a dramatic five-second test firing at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 37. (42 sec file)
QuickTime or RealVideo

The hydraulic erector arm of launch pad 37B slowly lifts the Delta 4 vertically, sitting the rocket atop the launch table. (4min 11sec file)
QuickTime or RealVideo

See full listing of video clips.

Delta 4 Info
The Delta family - Comparison of the Delta 2, 3 and 4 rockets.

Delta 4 components - A look at the pieces that make up the Delta 4 rocket.

Typical Delta 4 Medium launch - Sample look at launch sequence for Delta 4 Medium vehicle configuration.

Typical Delta 4 Medium (5,2) launch - Sample look at launch sequence for Delta 4 Medium (5,2) vehicle configuration.

Typical Delta 4 Heavy launch - Sample look at launch sequence for Delta 4 Heavy vehicle configuration.

Delta 4 upper stages - Differences of the two upper stage configurations.

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