Jul 25, 2015
WGS-7 launch highlights
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WGS-7 launch highlights
WGS-7 roars into space, July 24, 2015, 8:07 pm EDT.
Click here to see the vehicle up-close the day prior to launch, as well as our Wideband Global Satcom archive. Photo credit: Matthew Travis, ULA.
Congratulations to @ulalaunch on another successful mission! The Delta IV rocket carrying WGS-7 for @usairforce took off into the sunset over Cape Canaveral at 8:07 pm EDT. UPDATES AND INFO- http://www.americaspace.com/?page_id=33925 #sunset #orbitalATK #USAF #ExploreSpace #DeltaIV #WGS7 #Rocketgram #RocketScience #capecanaveral #LoveFL #SpaceCoast #Launch #sky (at NASA Causeway)
It's a breezy but beautiful evening at the Cape and the @ulalaunch Delta IV rocket carrying WGS-7 for the @usairforce is ready to go! The 40-minute launch window opens at 8:07 pm ET! Weather is predicted to be at 90% at launch time! 🚀 WATCH IT LIVE-http://www.americaspace.com/?page_id=33925 **CLICK THE LINK IN BIO** #WGS7 #DeltaIV #ULA #Rocketgram #LoveFL #RocketScience #ExploreSpace #USAF #sunset #orbitalATK (at Kennedy Space Center causeway launch viewing site.)
The Delta IV M+ 5,4 rocket, seen yesterday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s SLC-37, prior to the first launch attempt.
The 5,4 configuration is the second most powerful version of the Delta IV booster, featuring four GEM-60 Solid Rocket Motors strapped to the first stage of the Common Booster Core. Each SRM gives 197,500 pounds of force and burns for 1 minute, 31 seconds. For the WGS-7 flight, the Delta IV CBC boasts the new RS-68A engine, which has only flown one previous flight in 2012. The RS-68A is replacing the RS-68 engine that the Delta IV debuted with in 2002. This upgrade gives the Delta IV CBC a total thrust of 705,000 pounds of force at sea level, 42,000 more than the RS-68, which offered 663,000. All Delta IV flights will now use this upgraded engine. In the images above, the RS-68A engine cannot be seen, as it is located underneath the launch mount the vehicle is attached to. Photo credit: For-All-Mankind
T-3 days (19 July) - WGS 7 ready to take to the skies. ULA has released images of the WGS-7 satellite being encapsuated and mated to the Delta IV rocket. Encapsulation occurred on June 24 while stacking at LC-37 occurred on July 8.
Launching into orbit is the seventh Wideband Global Satcom satellite for the U.S. Department of Defense. The WGS constellation is a high-capacity communications relay that provides coverage between the Pentagon and allies around the world. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:07 pm EDT Wednesday, July 22. The launch window extends 45 minutes, to 8:52 pm. The Delta IV rocket will be flying in its Medium+ 5,4 configuration. This denotes a five-meter payload fairing and four GEM-60 Solid Rocket Motors. The launch of WGS-7 will mark the second flight of the RS-68A main engine for the Common Booster Core. The engine is an improved version of the RS-60 that the Delta family has used since 2002. The RS-68A was flown on one previous mission, NROL-15, in June 2012. All flights after WGS-7 will use the upgraded engine in the CBC. In May, 2013, we saw the WGS-5 launch, and WGS-6 in August that same year. This is the first launch of a WGS satellite since August, 2013. It will mark the 98th launch for ULA since the company was founded in 2006 and the 30th Delta IV flight since it first flew in 2002. It’s also the second and final Delta IV mission of 2015. The Mission Brochure can be viewed as a PDF here.