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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket is set to blast off for the 16th and final time Thursday afternoon from Florida’s Space Coast.
Thursday’s operation from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 1:40 p.m., with the 45th Weather Squadron predicting a 30% chance for favorable weather conditions at launch time. Weather conditions are currently expected to improve to 60%-favorable in the event of a 24-hour delay, according to launch weather officers.
The three-core, heavy-lift launch vehicle’s swan song will serve the NROL-70 mission on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office, which bills itself as developer and operator of “the world’s most capable and innovative overhead reconnaissance systems.”
The NRO has said the NROL-70 mission is necessary in order to further its own intelligence-collecting capabilities as they apply to U.S. national security, as well as to disaster relief and humanitarian efforts.
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Delta IV rockets were created to fulfill the requirements of the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, according to the NRO. The first Delta IV launch took off in 2002 and Thursday’s will mark the last launch of either Delta IV’s medium or heavy variants.
Read further about the mission and Delta IV from ULA and the NRO.
ClickOrlando.com will plan to stream the launch live at the top of this story when coverage begins.
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