Belching flame and roaring like a lion, Boeing's inaugural Delta 4 rocket did everything but lift off during a successful countdown rehearsal Monday that was capped by a dramatic engine firing on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 37B.

The Delta 4 rocket ignites on launch pad 37B. Photo: Boeing video/Spaceflight Now

In an effort to prove the new rocket, engine, pad and software will work together properly for next month's launch, Boeing opted to perform a Flight Readiness Firing to fully simulate the countdown and ignition.

On the launch pad since late-April, the Delta 4 has been subjected to countless tests and exercises to pave the way to a successful first flight. The engine firing is seen as the last major testing milestone before the standard launch campaign can commence.

Fire erupts around the rocket and billows from the flame trench at ignition of the RS-68 engine. Photo: Boeing video/Spaceflight Now

"There is an excitement building and the FRF is the next step in that," Dan Collins, Boeing vice president and Delta program manager, said before Monday's event. "We are that much closer to what we all got into this business for, which is to launch rockets and launch satellites successfully."

After a smooth countdown throughout the day for a planned 4 p.m. EDT firing, an improperly set limit on a pressure reading caused an abort around T-minus 38 seconds. Engineers were able to resolve the issue, clearing the way for a second try at 5:35 p.m. EDT.

The computer sequencer took control at T-minus 8.5 seconds, followed three seconds later by the command to ignite the rocket's RS-68 main engine.

Flames shoot up from the launch table. Photo: Boeing video/Spaceflight Now

The liquid hydrogen-fueled powerplant is the first new large rocket engine developed by the U.S. in 25 years. It will power all versions of the next-generation Delta 4 rocket, which is scheduled to make its debut launch no sooner than November 14.

As fuel valves opened, golden flame erupted from the base of the Delta 4 as the Rocketdyne-built engine came to life. It took a couple of seconds to reach full power -- 17 million horsepower, the equivalent to nearly 11 Hoover Dams.

Then as the countdown passed T-0 seconds, the engine began shutting down as the rocket remained firmly bolted to the launch pad. In all, the RS-68 fired for about five seconds.

A fireball is created at engine shutdown. Photo: Boeing video/Spaceflight Now

Another fireball from unused propellant could be seen licking nearly the height of rocket during the moments after the cutoff. The liquid hydrogen fuel valve closes after the liquid oxygen side during a pad shutdown.

Boeing officials said all the flame was expected and normal.

The preliminary review of data collected during the event indicated a flawless firing and a completely successful test.

Boeing will sift through the mounds of data in a more thorough review to study the actual acoustics, vibrations and environments experienced during ignition.


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
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"Our team did a fantastic job of completing this rehearsal. The test firing serves as a stepping-stone and positions us to obtain our goal of providing the U.S. government and the commercial world the best value, performance-driven launch vehicle for satellite deployment," Collins said in a statement Monday evening.

"We planned a rigorous test program focused on assuring mission success and we've completed every test in the plan. Now it's time to go launch."

Post-test inspections will be performed at the pad to ensure the internal workings of the engine came through the firing without damage, and technicians will torque the engine's turbomachinery to ensure everything rotates freely. Ignitors will be reloaded for launch as well, said Byron Wood, vice president and general manager of Rocketdyne.

This particular engine, number 20003, had already undergone 561 seconds of firing time during four tests before being delivered to Boeing for attachment to the Delta 4 rocket.

Leftover remnants of the test includes black marks on the base of the rocket. Photo: Boeing video/Spaceflight Now

Launch of this very rocket is officially slated for November 16 carrying the W5 telecommunications satellite for Paris-based operator Eutelsat. However, Boeing would like to move up the launch to November 14 if a scheduling conflict on the Eastern Range can be cleared.

The Eutelsat cargo is currently at the Astrotech satellite processing facility in nearby Titusville, Florida. It will be encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone and then brought to the pad for mating to the launcher a couple of weeks before liftoff.

The Delta 4 is the second new American rocket being fielded this year. Lockheed Martin successfully flew its Atlas 5 booster in August from the Cape. Both rockets were designed as part of the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program that seeks to provide affordable and reliable access to space for the next two decades.