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The Final Delta IV Heavy Rocket Launch
Stunning rocket cam footage was captured during the final Delta IV Heavy launch, marking the end of the program that spanned 64 years of delivering large payloads into space. The United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket took off from Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 GMT) on April 9th. Named NROL-70, the mission carried a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
This launch represented the 16th and final flight for the Delta IV Heavy rocket, as well as the 45th and last flight of a Delta IV launcher. Notably, it also marked the end of all Delta launches, wrapping up a legacy of 389 missions dating back to 1960.
Officials were heard saying, “We have ignition!” in the video as they counted down to launch. The liftoff of the final United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying NROL-70 for the National Reconnaissance Office symbolized the culmination of Delta’s exceptional six-decade history in space.
Onboard Footage
The video footage included views from both ground-based and onboard video cameras, showcasing the rocket’s successful final launch. The ignition sequence, with flames and plumes of smoke enveloping the rocket as it ascended from the ground, was captured from both angles. In the footage from onboard cameras, Earth gradually receded into the distance as the rocket journeyed into space.
The side boosters separated approximately four minutes into the flight, followed by the second stage separation about two minutes later. This left the Delta IV upper stage to conduct a series of burns to position the classified NRO satellite into its designated orbit.
Transition to Vulcan Centaur
The final Delta IV launch had initially been scheduled for March 28 but was postponed minutes before liftoff due to issues with the rocket’s nitrogen distribution system. This event signifies the shift to ULA’s next-generation rocket, Vulcan Centaur.
Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO, reflected on the Delta rocket’s pivotal role in spaceflight evolution since the 1960s. In a statement following the April 9 launch, he emphasized how this final Delta mission marked ULA’s progression to the new Vulcan rocket, offering even higher performance for heavy-class missions.
The Vulcan Centaur embarked on its inaugural mission, Cert-1, on January 8, 2024, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. While the launch proceeded smoothly, a propulsion anomaly caused a significant propellant leak in Peregrine, resulting in the spacecraft burning up upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
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