NEW YORK, January 19. /TASS/. A Delta IV Heavy rocked with a satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) blasted off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday, according to a live broadcast on the ULA website.
The launch took place at 11:10 local time (22:10 Moscow time), with a five-minute delay caused by strong winds. The weather conditions were only 40% favorable for the launch.
The rocket’s two side boosters separated four minutes into the flight.
The first phase of the launch was a success. The broadcast was concluded six minutes after the blastoff, after separation of the rocket's payload fairing, at the request from NRA.
The mission was rescheduled several times, the latest delay was announced on December 21.
No information is available about the payload, known under the codename NROL-71.
Delta IV Heavy is the heavy modification of the Delta IV rocket. It features two additional boosters, adjusted to the sides of the main segment. The rocket is capable of taking the payload of up to 14.2 tonnes to the geostationary orbit and up to 28.8 tonnes - to the low-earth orbit.
ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.