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After nearly two decades of work to help the US military accomplish national security missions, United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket is ready to retire.
Fortunately, you have one last chance to watch it live, on the ULA YouTube channel or here at Space.com. The Delta IV medium is expected to be launched in space Thursday (August 22) during a 27-minute window that will open at 9 pm EDT (1 pm GMT) and taking off from Air Force Base. Cape Canaveral Florida.
It will carry the second satellite in a next ageConstellation of Neration the global positioning system which supports navigation on the surface of the Earth and in the air. The new satellites include better accuracy, greater interference resistance and a new signal for civilian users, according to ULA.
Related: Meet the Delta Rocket family from United Launch Alliance
The last ULA Delta IV medium rocket arrives on the platform in Florida before its launch on August 22, 2019.
(Image credit: United Launch Alliance)
Since launching the company in 2002, ULA has launched a total of 134 missions with 100% success. ULA's Delta IV and Atlas V rocket families were both created as a result of changes in government policy following the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion who killed seven crew members during the launch.
The space shuttle program had managed many national security launches in the 1980s, but after the fatal incident, the cost of the crewed missions caused a change in US policy. Military launches have stopped relying on shuttles and returned to expendable rockets, which had also been used for military launches before the shuttle.
In the coming years, ULA is moving away from the Delta and Atlas rockets to work on a new generation rocket called Vulcan Centaur. planned launch in 2021.
Vulcan is touted as an affordable competitor of newer companies, whose missiles are mature enough to allow bidding for military contracts, such as SpaceX. ULA announced last fall that Vulcan will be using a BE-4 engine built by Blue Origin in response to United States: Persistent Diplomatic Concerns Regarding Use of Russian-Made RD-180 Engine for Atlas V.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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