United Launch Alliance DELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-44 (Live Webcast starts 7:40 pm EST tonight)

ULALaunch.com ^ | 10 Dec, 2020 | United Space Alliance

[MtnClimber]

DELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-44 • Rocket: Delta IV Heavy • Mission: NROL-44 • Launch Date and Time: Dec. 10 at 8:09 p.m. EST • Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Information: A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Launch Notes: This will be 142nd mission for United Launch Alliance and our 30th for the NRO. It is the 385th Delta launch since 1960, the 12th Delta IV Heavy and the 8th Heavy for the NRO.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #DeltaIVHeavy #NROL44

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Dec 10, 2020 19:09
We are exactly one hour away from liftoff time of the Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a national security payload designed, built and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket is fueled and its 8 cryogenic tanks are being conditioned for launch.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[norcal joe]

Thanks for posting this. I would have missed it.

[MtnClimber]

The Delta IV Heavy rocket is the nation's proven heavy-lifter and the only rocket capable of launching NROL-44.

[BenLurkin]

All credit goes to MtnClimber

8^)

[CivilWarBrewing]

Oh GOODIE. Another NRO/DeepState eavesdropping satellite to be used to spy on US.

[HighSierra5]

I sure hope there are patriots in charge of this mission.

[familyop]

Is there a site other than Facebook or Twitter for watching the video?

[diatomite]

Is there a live feed of the launch?

[MtnClimber]

The live feed is at the post link and just down the page. The live stream starts at 7:40 EST, about 15 minutes.

[MtnClimber]

The Automatic Determination and Dissemination of Just Updated Steering Terms, better known as the ADDJUST file, is being loaded into the Delta IV Heavy rocket’s Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly (INCA) flight computer by the flight control operator here at the Launch Control Center. This is the planned steering parameters for the INCA to use based on today’s upper level wind conditions.

A series of weather balloons has been launched throughout the countdown from the Range weather station at Cape Canaveral to collect measurements of wind speeds and directions to determine if conditions aloft violate the controllability or structural loads on the rocket during ascent. The balloon data was transmitted to ULA engineers in Denver to select a steering profile that minimizes launch vehicle responses.

[norcal joe]

Sorry, MtnClimber, I meant to reply to your initial post. :)

[norcal joe]

They just showed a bunch of previous NROL launches, including NROL-65 and NROL-71 to my surprise. What kind of numbering system are they using if today’s launch is NROL-44? Or is this some kind of time travel launch?

[Repeal The 17th]

https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-44
All systems go
T-4 minutes

[diatomite]

It has been t-4 minutes for at least 40 minutes.

[US_MilitaryRules]

1 minute

[Repeal The 17th]

40 seconds now

[2111USMC]

That was cool.