Thursday, December 03, 2009

Delta Rocket Fully Fueled For Flight Tonight

A Delta IV rocket is now fully fueled at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as United Launch Alliance counts down to the planned launch tonight of a military communications satellite.

The Delta IV Medium rocket is scheduled to blast off from Launch Complex 37 at 7:22 p.m. The launch window tonight will extend through 8:43 p.m. The forecast for launch has been revised. Launch Weather Officer Joel Tumbiolo of the Air Force 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron has increased the probability of acceptable conditions to 70 percent.

Engineers started loading liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first and second stages of the rocket about 3 p.m. and the propellant-loading operation was completed about 2.5 hours later.

Check out all the details on the satellite-delivery mission in this United Launch Alliance Mission Book.


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