Article Posted on : - Mar 15, 2011

ULA Successfully launches fourth NRO mission in six Months Photo: ULA

FLORIDA (BNS): The United Launch Alliance has successfully launched the Delta IV rocket from the Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The rocket has carried a payload for the fourth National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) mission.

"ULA is very proud to have supported the NRO with this fourth successful launch in such a short period of time. Our launch team understands the importance these missions play in protecting our freedoms and supporting our brave men and women deployed around the world," Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations, said.

Earlier, ULA have launched NROL-41 on an Atlas V from Vandenberg AFB, California on September 20th, 2010. The next launch of the NROL-32 on a Delta IV Heavy was lift off on November 21st, 2010 and on January 20th, 2011 ULA had launched NROL-49 on a Delta IV Heavy from Vandenberg Air Force Station.

Delta IV is 211-feet tall and has more than one million pounds of thrust at liftoff. NROL-27 is the seventh flight of the Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration and the 16th flight of the Delta IV family of launch vehicles.

The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration launch vehicle used a single common booster core with a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine, two Alliant Techsystems GEM 60 solid rocket motors, a PWR RL10B-2 upper stage engine and a four-meter diameter upper stage and composite payload fairing.

The company has scheduled the next launch of the Atlas V NROL-34 mission for April 12, 2011 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.