Since November 2002, rockets from the Delta IV Medium family have been launched 29 times, all of which were successful. Its last flight was with a 3rd generation GPS satellite in August 2019.
The Delta IV Medium (also referred to as 'single stick' [1] [2] ) was available in four configurations: Medium, Medium+ (4,2), Medium+ (5,2), and Medium+ (5,4). [3]
To encapsulate the satellite payload, a variety of different payload fairings were available. A stretched Delta III 4-meter diameter composite payload fairing was used on 4-meter Medium versions, while an enlarged, 5-meter diameter composite fairing was used on 5-meter Medium versions.
The Medium (4,2) version last flew on 22 August 2019, marking the retirement of the Delta IV Medium variants. [3] [5]
Flight | Date / time (UTC) | Rocket Configuration | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | November 20, 2002 22:39 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | Eutelsat W5 | 3,086 pounds (1,400 kilograms) | GTO | Eutelsat | Success [6] |
First Delta IV launch, Commercial communications satellite | ||||||||
2 | March 11, 2003 00:59 | Delta IV Medium | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-167 (DSCS-3 A3) | Classified | GTO | US Air Force | Success [7] |
Military communications satellite, First Delta IV Medium launch, First USAF EELV mission | ||||||||
3 | August 29, 2003 23:13 | Delta IV Medium | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-170 (DSCS-3 B6) | Classified | GTO | US Air Force | Success [8] |
Military communications satellite | ||||||||
4 | May 24, 2006 22:11 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | GOES-N (GOES-13) | 6,908 pounds (3,133 kilograms) | GTO | NASA/NOAA | Success [9] |
First Delta IV launch for NASA, Weather satellite | ||||||||
5 | June 28, 2006 03:33 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | VAFB SLC-6 | NROL-22 | Classified | Molniya | US NRO | Success [10] |
First Delta IV launch from Vandenberg, Reconnaissance satellite | ||||||||
6 | November 4, 2006 13:53 | Delta IV Medium | VAFB SLC-6 | DMSP F17 | Classified | SSO | DoD | Success [11] |
First Delta IV launch into a LEO/SSO, Military weather satellite | ||||||||
7 | June 27, 2009 22:51 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | GOES-O (GOES-14) | 6,908 pounds (3,133 kilograms) | GTO | NASA/NOAA | Success [12] |
Weather satellite | ||||||||
8 | December 6, 2009 01:47 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-211 (WGS-3) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilograms) | GTO | US Air Force | Success [13] |
First Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) launch, Communication satellite | ||||||||
9 | 4 March 2010 23:57 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | GOES-P (GOES-15) | 7,139 pounds (3,238 kilograms) | GTO | NASA | Success [14] |
NOAA Weather satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program. Replaced GOES-11 as the GOES West satellite. | ||||||||
10 | 28 May 2010 03:00 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-213 (GPS IIF SV-1) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [15] |
Navigation satellite | ||||||||
11 | 11 March 2011 23:38 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-227 (NROL-27) | 5,148 pounds (2335 kilogarms) | GTO | US NRO | Success |
Military comsat. | ||||||||
12 | 16 July 2011 06:41 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-232 (GPS IIF-2) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [16] |
Navigation satellite | ||||||||
13 | 20 January 2012 00:38 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-233 (WGS-4) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | US Air Force | Success [17] |
Military comsat | ||||||||
14 | 3 April 2012 23:12 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) | VAFB SLC-6 | USA-234 (NROL-25) | Classified | LEO | US NRO | Success [18] |
First Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) launch, Reconnaissance satellite | ||||||||
15 | 4 October 2012 12:10 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-239 (GPS IIF-3) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [19] |
Upper stage anomaly, [20] Satellite navigation | ||||||||
16 | 25 May 2013 00:27 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-243 (WGS-5) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | US Air Force | Success [21] |
Military comsat | ||||||||
17 | 8 August 2013 00:29 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS, SLC-37B | USA-244 (WGS-6) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | US Air Force | Success [22] |
Military comsat | ||||||||
18 | 21 February 2014 01:59 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-248 (GPS IIF-5) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [23] |
25th Delta IV launch, Satellite navigation | ||||||||
19 | 17 May 2014 00:03 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-251 (GPS IIF-6) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [24] |
Navigation satellite | ||||||||
20 | 28 July 2014 23:28 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA 253-255 (AFSPC-4 (GSSAP #1/#2/ANGELS)) | Classified | GEO | DoD/AFRL | Success [25] |
Space surveillance / Technology demonstration | ||||||||
21 | 25 March 2015 18:36 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-260 (GPS IIF-9) | 3,594 pounds (1,630 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [26] |
Final launch of baseline RS-68 engine, [27] Navigation satellite | ||||||||
22 | 24 July 2015 00:07 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-263 (WGS-7) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | DoD | Success [28] |
Second flight with an RS-68A engine; New standard for Delta IV rockets, Military comsat | ||||||||
23 | 10 February 2016, 11:40 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) | VAFB SLC-6 | USA-267 (NROL-45) | Classified | LEO | US NRO | Success [29] |
Reconnaissance satellite | ||||||||
24 | 19 August 2016 04:52 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-270/271 (AFSPC-6 (GSSAP #3/#4)) | Classified | GEO | DoD | Success [30] |
Space surveillance satellite | ||||||||
25 | 7 December 2016 23:53 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-272 (WGS-8) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | DoD | Success [31] |
Military comsat | ||||||||
26 | 19 March 2017 00:18 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS SLC-37B | USA-275 (WGS-9) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | DoD | Success [32] |
Military comsat | ||||||||
27 | 12 January 2018 22:11 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) | VAFB SLC-6 | USA-281 (NROL-47) | Classified | LEO | US NRO | Success [33] |
Final flight of Delta IV M+(5,2) variant. Reconnaissance satellite. | ||||||||
28 | 16 March 2019 00:26 | Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) | CCAFS, SLC-37B | USA-291 (WGS-10) | 13,199 pounds (5,987 kilogarms) | GTO | DoD | Success [34] |
Final flight of Delta IV M+(5,4) variant. Military comsat. | ||||||||
29 | 22 August 2019 13:06 | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | CCAFS, SLC-37B | USA-293 (GPS III-2) | 8,168 pounds (3,705 kilograms) | MEO | US Air Force | Success [35] |
Final flight of Delta IV M+(4,2) variant. 3rd generation Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) |
Delta IV was a group of five expendable launch systems in the Delta rocket family introduced in the early 2000s. Originally designed by Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, the Delta IV became a United Launch Alliance (ULA) product in 2006. The Delta IV was primarily a launch vehicle for United States Air Force (USAF) military payloads, but was also used to launch a number of United States government non-military payloads and a single commercial satellite.
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United Launch Alliance, LLC, commonly referred to as ULA, is an American aerospace manufacturer, defense contractor and launch service provider that manufactures and operates rockets that launch spacecraft into Earth orbit and on trajectories to other bodies in the Solar System. ULA also designed and builds the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for the Space Launch System (SLS).
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