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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Vandenberg rocket launch The biggest rocket ever to launch from the US West Coast has lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The 72m-high Delta IV Heavy was carrying a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). It has previously only operated from Florida, and the launch pad at the Californian base had to be upgraded to handle the giant vehicle. Flying the Delta from the West Coast allows the largest reconnaissance satellites to be put into polar orbits. The vehicle is reserved for military and intelligence use, although there has long been discussion about modifying it for a role in human spaceflight. The Delta IV Heavy features three core boosters strapped side by side. Each has a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne-built RS-68 engine. These motors burn a tonne of propellant every second and produce 2,950 kilonewtons (663,000lbf) of thrust at lift-off. This was the fifth flight in the vehicle's history, and the second in just two months. No details were released about the payload. The NRO operates satellites that return information to the Central Intelligence Agency and US Department of Defense. Large imaging satellites of the type the Delta IV could launch would have remarkable resolution. Advertisement The rocket is reserved for government use Vandenberg's position on the coast means the Delta can fly south over the Pacific and avoid crossing land as it climbs skyward. The last heavy-lift rocket to launch from Vandenberg was the Titan IV-B in 2005. comment by "Schuyler in ATS: FWIW this particular launch has been planned for several years. It's taken that long to build the rocket (in Alabama), transport it to California, and set it all up. Planning for this launch likely started a decade ago, so comparing to recent events is probably not at all valid. This is the first of seven Delta launches for 2011, including two more heavies. Some will be in Florida, some at Vandenberg. YES, we have launched many times from other than Canaveral. The Vandenberg launch facility has been there many years and launched its first missile in 1958. It actually has six active launch sites. This is the first Delta "Heavy" launched from Vandenberg. "Heavy" effectively means the rocket itself and two boosters. Normal Delta rockets do not have the boosters. Vandenberg is not close to the equator so it isn't suitable for some launches, but, apparenrtly, is good for polar track satellites. This one is a spy satellite, of course, and will join a zillion others already up there. This launch is really nothing out of the ordinary
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