Delta IV Heavy
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Maiden launch of Delta IV Heavy in 2004
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The most powerful member of the Delta family of launch vehicles manufactured by Boeing. The 70-meter tall (230 ft) Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) features three core boosters strapped side-by-side and a stretched 5-meter composite payload fairing. Each Rocketdyne-built RS-68 engine burns a tonne of propellant every second, producing 2,891 kilonewtons (650,000lbs) of thrust at lift-off. The two strap-on boosters are separated earlier in the flight than the center booster. The Delta IV Heavy can put 13 tonnes into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 23 tonnes into a low-Earth orbit, a capability not far short of the Space Shuttle. Indeed Boeing had proposed that an upgraded version of the vehicle be used as a manned launcher when the Shuttle is retired; however, that role will be filled by the new Ares family of rockets.
The Delta IV Heavy carries only military, not commercial, payloads. Its first launch – a test flight – took place on December 21, 2004. This was followed on November 10, 2007, by second launch which placed a 2.3-tonne Defense Support Program (DSP) in GTO.
Related category
• ROCKETS, MISSILES, AND LAUNCH VEHICLES
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