ULA launch of NRO satellite on hold after Delta 4 Heavy hot fire abort

SpaceNews ^ | August 29, 2020 | Sandra Erwin

[BenLurkin]

The launch of NROL-44 was aborted three seconds before the rocket was to lift off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The automatic abort was triggered by a hot fire after the Delta 4 Heavy’s three engines appeared to ignite but then shut off. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said on Twitter that the cause “appears to have been in the ground system.” He said the abort system “functioned as intended to protect the vehicle and payload.”

ULA said in a statement it is “reviewing all data and will determine the path forward.” Another launch attempt won’t happen for at least seven days.

[BenLurkin]

This is why you could never get me on a fricking rocket...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0g7YL3RzT8

[billorites]

That was ugly to watch. Seems like it would take more than a week to fix that.

[BenLurkin]

“Explaining the Delta Rocket Fireball”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-zmptK7PDE

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I did some further looking and found the Delta Heavy launch last October had a huge fireball around the rocket. But that is by design! It is an expendable engine and the liquid hydrogen starts flowing before the oxygen. Excess hydrogen spills out of the engine and up the rocket body -- it all ignites upon engine ignition. That's quite the design!

This massive rocket creates a fireball as it launches, and that’s by design

[Pollard]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates a number of rocket vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth and to other bodies in the solar system. The company, which is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security, was formed in December 2006. Launch customers of the United States government include the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and other organizations.[2]

Boeing

baa haa haa haa

[Pollard]

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3878673/posts

Boeing CEO pledges a 20 percent increase in black employees

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Great video. Thanks for posting that link.

Interesting that the Delta Heavy flame is red because of the ablative carbon nozzle.

[Timocrat]

Boeing CEO pledges a 20 percent increase in black employees

So Boeing's quota system is going to employ more black employees than their percentage in the general population. No wonder they needed a lot more money than SpaceX to create a shuttle system to the international space station

In the meantime SpaceX is shuttling people to the space station and has its eyes on the Moon and Mars

Someone should tell Boeing CEO that NASA's top priority is no longer Muslim outreach.

[Terry L Smith]

ULA ain’t SpaceX!
Dey’s day NASA boys d’at quit!
aka guvmint woikers!

[PAR35]

Another case of those Lockheed engineers not knowing the difference between French and English units of measurement? Or just affirmative action hiring at NASA.

[PAR35]

Someone should tell Boeing CEO that NASA's top priority is no longer Muslim outreach.

I'm not sure that statement is accurate. Has there been a culture change at NASA, or are the same folks still running the show?

[Deaf Smith]

What was that flared burn-off to the right of the launch vehicle after the abort?

[BenLurkin]

Dunno. Some kind of gaseous excess is all I can figure. Like at refineries.