Video: Watch the Delta IV Heavy rocket blast off from Vandenberg Space Force Base

Chloe Lovejoy
·1 min read
The last Delta IV Heavy rocket soars through a blue sky with a plume of white smoke trailing behind in a view from San Luis Obispo, after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:25 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.

The final Delta IV Heavy rocket to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base blasted off into a clear blue sky on Saturday afternoon.

The rocket is the 10th of its kind to launch from the base in northern Santa Barbara County. The United Launch Alliance is retiring the Delta IV and will replace it with Vulcan Centaur.

After a short delay, the Delta IV lifted off from the platform at 3:25 p.m. carrying a national security payload that will “deliver critical intelligence information from space that U.S. warfighters and decision makers need,” according to a news release.

Click below to watch the full livestream of Saturday’s countdown and launch.