The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy (ULA) rocket won its clandestine payload for the upcoming NROL-44 project for the National Reconnaissance Office as crews continue to launch arrangements for the SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
The project is expected to be submitted at the end of August and occurs when ULA wins 60% of the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Award, and SpaceX wins the remaining 40% of the projects.
NROL-44 progression:
Florida’s first Delta IV Heavy project since August 2018 is in the final stages of launch preparation, with the ULA and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) worker corps moving and docking the NROL-44 rated payload into the most sensitive heavy rocket rocket: the latest integration activity prior to launch.
The Delta IV Heavy is the only remaining Delta circle of relative rocket variants recently in active condition for ULA after the recall of the Delta II line in 2018 and the Delta IV Medium line in August 2019.
Launch site preparations for the mission began in earnest in July 2019 when the two side boosters arrived at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard the Delta Mariner (now named Rocketship).
During the remainder of 2019, the remaining flight aircraft arrived in Cape Town and moved to the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) on SLC-37.
Learn more about launching on our blog: https://t.co/G1E3nFus7R pic.twitter.com/SUWDrBkqv8
– ULA (@ulalaunch) 6 August 2020
The SLC-37B and -37A were built between 19.59 and 1963 for NASA’s Apollo program. The LC-37A was never used, but the LC-37B introduced the Saturn I and Saturn 1B rockets, adding Apollo Five, the first verification area of the lunar module. The SLC-37B was deactivated in 1972 before being rebuilt for the Delta IV line in the early 2000s.
After meeting at HIF, the triple-core Delta IV Heavy with its Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) was deployed to the platform on November 14, 2019, where it was then hydraulically raised from horizontal to vertical on the release platform the next day. release mark for the state vehicle.
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The Delta IV line requires a little time on the platform to release processing operations to other rockets, and the multi-month platform flows are the same as for this vehicle.
The ULA held a practice session to dress in the rain on January 10, 2020 to ensure that all cars and floor systems operated under environmental and cryogenic conditions. The Wet Dress saw the ULA groups perform the countdown, as it will be used on launch day, with the vehicle refueling liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
The only element of launch day not practiced in reality but rather simulated was ignition of the three RS-68A engines — one on each Common Booster Core.
On July 27, NRO’s classified payload arrived on the platform and was collected through a crane through the internal well of the rocket’s cellular service tower and effectively joined the DCSS summit.
The NROL-44 launch is recently scheduled for the early morning of August 26, with a launch window from 1:50 a.m. to 6:25 a.m. EDT (5:50 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. UTC).
The Delta IV Heavy is built in Decatur, AL, as well as the Atlas V and Vulcan, the two ULA rockets.
Vulcan will upgrade Delta IV but will begin flying as the Delta IV fleet phases out over the next 4 years. There are five Delta IV Heavy missions left: 3 cape Canaveral and two from Vandenberg Air Force Base. They’re all NRO missions.
The Delta IV project is NROL-70, scheduled for launch in 2024 from Cape Canaveral.
Vulcan, in its Heavy configuration (with six forged rocket engines and an elongated Centaur stage) will have a payload capacity 20-30% higher than that of the Delta IV Heavy and will be much cheaper.
ULA confirms that a Delta IV Heavy costs about $350 million, while Vulcan Centaur, from 2015, points to a $100 million launch charge, and the heavy-duty variant of the vehicle has a $200 million release charge consistent with the launch.
In reaction to a NASASpaceflight research, ULA stated that “due to sensitive competitive information, […] there will be no updates on Vulcan Centaur pricing” depending on the prices previously indexed.
ULA wins the top prize of the new NSSL Phase 2 award:
The NROL-44 project now comes casually when the ULA celebrates a primary victory.
The U.S. Space Force It has awarded the company approximately 60% of its Phase 2 contract assignments for the launch of the National Security Area (NSSL), a fixed-price unlimited delivery contract from the corporation for launches in 2022.
For missions below this price, ULA will use its next Vulcan rocket, as the company seeks to phase out its Delta IV and, in all likelihood, its Atlas V rocket lines; the latter will comply with Congressional orders to move away from veteran use. RD-180 engine of reliable and efficient Russian manufacturing.
SpaceX will use its Falcon nine and Falcon Heavy rockets, any of which are already qualified for national security launches.
“This is a pioneering day, culminating in years of strategic plans and efforts in the Air Force Decompotor component, the NRO and our components of the launch industry,” said Dr. William Roper, undersecretary of the Air Force for Procurement, Technology and Logistics. “
“Maintaining a competitive launch market, serving government and advertising customers, is how we inspire continuous innovation in guaranteed access to the area. Today’s awards mark a new era of area launch that, despite everything, will allow the Department to go out to Street Russian Motors RD-180. »
Lt. General John Thompson, Commander of the Space and Missile System Center and Executive Director of the Space Program added, “This historic award marks the beginning of a new decade in U.S. launch innovation, while fostering competition, maintaining a healthy business base and strengthening our global competitive advantage.”
The announcement of the NSSL Phase 2 awards came with the award of 3 launches scheduled for 2022.
ULA will have two of them, the USSF-51 and USSF-106, which are expected to be introduced at the time and fourth quarter of the year, respectively.
The third flight, USSF-67, assigned to SpaceX and is expected to be introduced in the fourth quarter of 2022.
For its two projects, ULA will get $337 million. SpaceX will get $316 million for your project, a component of which will be spent on the progression and design prices of the new long-term and larger payload fairing for the Falcon Heavy, as well as a cell stacking design to facilitate NSSL’s mandate to incorporate payloads. vertically and horizontally.
SpaceX’s existing payload fairings are 5.2 m in diameter and 13.1 m high. The Falcon Heavy’s NSSL fairings are expected to be approximately 5.4 m in diameter and 18.6 m tall.
Once developed, larger fairings can be used for Falcon Heavy missions other than NSSL.
In 2018, Phase 1 of the existing variety series included investments for the progression of detailed rocket designs proposed through Northrop Grumman (OmegA), Blue Origin (New Glenn) and ULA (Vulcan). SpaceX’s Falcon nine and Falcon Heavy rockets had already finished their progression and were already flying.
Phase 2 then officially decided that two corporations (three vehicles) would test the 2022-2027 army project manifesto on a 60/40 allocation.
– Blue Origin (@blueorigin) August 7, 2020
Despite not receiving an NSSL contract, OmegA has announced a visitor at Saturn Satellite Networks for the launch of two geostationary moving satellites orbiting the rocket’s maiden voyage next year.
The effect on this project of obtaining one of the NSSL contracts is transparent at this time.
In a statement, Northrop Grumman said: “We are disappointed with this decision. We are sure that we have submitted a falsified proposal that reflects our extensive launch area, delight and price for our visitor, and look forward to the comments of our visitors. »
Similarly, Bob Smith, ceo of Blue Origin, said: “We are disappointed that New Glenn has not decided on Phase 2 of the acquisition of NSSL release facilities. We have introduced an incredibly convincing provision for the national safety net and the US Taxpayer. Blue Origin’s provision was based on the functionality of New Glenn’s heavyweights, an unprecedented personal investment of more than $2.5 billion and an exclusive base release service value that was highly competitive for any project during the ordering period.”
“We are advancing New Glenn’s progression to meet our existing advertising contracts, pursue a giant and developing advertising market, and participate in new contracts to unleash the civil domain. We remain convinced that New Glenn will play an important role for the national safety net in the long run, owing to growing awareness that dominance is a disputed domain and that a solid, sensitive, and resilient liberation capability is important to the security of the United States.
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