The launch of the United Launch Alliance’s heavy-lift Delta IV rocket has been rescheduled for early morning on March 30 following a last-minute nitrogen leak issue.
United Launch Alliance prepares to launch the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Photo: United Launch Alliance).
The launch of the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket was postponed to early morning on March 30 due to an issue with the nitrogen gas pipeline and will be streamed live. United Launch Alliance stated: “The launch of the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket carrying the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office has been canceled due to a nitrogen gas supply line issue that provides pressurized air for the launch vehicle systems. The team has begun operations to secure the vehicle. The launch is currently scheduled for 1:37 AM on March 30.”
This launch will mark the end of 64 years of Delta rocket operations, which were designed to deliver large payloads into space. The Delta IV heavy-lift rocket, the 16th of its kind launched since 2004, will carry a classified payload as it makes its final ascent from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
ULA has not disclosed the content of the payload being launched into space, but it may include a complex satellite, according to Space.com. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for designing and operating reconnaissance satellites, and the public rarely knows the contents or purposes of these surveillance systems.
All we know about the current mission is its name, NROL-70, and the time it is expected to launch.
A ULA representative wrote: “The NROL-70 mission will enhance the NRO’s capability to provide timely intelligence to national decision-makers and intelligence analysts to protect the nation’s vital interests and support humanitarian efforts worldwide.”
It remains unclear whether the Delta rocket will actually launch at the newly announced time, as ground winds and cumulus clouds have created unfavorable conditions that could lead to delays. The weather forecast indicates a 30% chance that conditions will be stable enough for a launch on Thursday and a 60% chance of favorable conditions on Friday and Saturday, according to Spaceflight Now.
Delta is a line of launch vehicles used by the United States since the 1960s. More than 300 Delta rockets have been launched, with a success rate of 95%. The Delta rocket family is the longest-serving, most reliable, and also the least expensive rocket developed by the United States. As of November 2020, only the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket remains in use by the U.S. The Delta rockets are currently manufactured and launched by United Launch Alliance.
