Massive Delta IV Heavy rocket may be seen from Palm Beach County on Tuesday, April 9
The Delta IV Heavy, a massively powerful rocket from United Launch Alliance, is one you won't want to miss. After scrubbing its initial launch on March 28, United Launch is scheduled to launch Tuesday, April 9.
The rocket will soar skyward on its historic 16th and final mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a scheduled liftoff time at 12:53 p.m. That means that Palm Beach County should be able to see the rocket a little over two minutes later.
The scheduled launch will come a day after Monday's Great American Solar Eclipse, where parts of the United States will see a total solar eclipse. Because Florida is not in the path of totality, much of the state, including Palm Beach County, will see a partial eclipse, about 50%, from about 2 p.m. through 4 p.m. with peak coverage at around 3 p.m.
As for the rocket, the initial launch was scrubbed because of an issue with a ground pump on a gaseous nitrogen pipeline. Fewer than four minutes remained in Thursday's countdown before it was delayed because of high winds. During that delay, the pipeline ground pump failed, triggering the scrub.
The Delta IV Heavy, which is bound for retirement, will send a classified payload into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office on the NROL-70 national security mission.
The massive rocket, which launches the NRO's heaviest satellites, debuted in December 2004 during a demonstration flight.
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Three years later, the inaugural Delta IV Heavy mission with a payload launched in November 2007 from Cape Canaveral, lifting a U.S. Air Force satellite designed to provide early warning of intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
The ULA rocket made history for its transportation of the NASA Parker Solar Probe in 2018 and the first orbital test flight of the Orion crew capsule in 2014.
Vulcan Centaur, ULA’s newest rocket, had a successful test flight in January 2024. The Vulcan will replace the Delta family of rockets.
The Delta IV Heavy rocket has three Delta IV core stages together. According to the ULA website, each rocket engine produces up to 702,000 pounds of thrust. With this performance, one can see why ULA dubbed it "the most metal." These engines are not small either. Just one engine weighs about 14,876 pounds and is 204 inches (17 feet) long.
Powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, the Delta IV Heavy appears to "set itself on fire" just before liftoff as buoyant hydrogen gas, cools down the rocket before launch, ignites and burns off. The fiery start may look frightening, yet it's part of the process.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delta IV Heavy is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral
