Delta IV rocket gets ‘unanimous go’ for Vandenberg launch — again. Here’s how to watch

Update:

The widely anticipated Delta IV heavy rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday morning.

Original story

The Delta IV heavy rocket is still on track to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday.

United Launch Alliance representatives said the launch was given a “unanimous go” on Friday after a Launch Readiness Review.

The rocket is expected to take a top secret payload into space for the National Reconnaissance Office, dubbed the NROL-71 mission.

It will launch at 11:05 a.m.

The review was led by NROL-71 launch director Lou Mangieri and assessed “all aspects of mission readiness, discussed the status of pre-flight processing work, heard technical overviews of the countdown and flight and previewed the weather forecast,” according to the organization — a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

“We are proud to launch this critical payload in support of our nation’s national security mission,” ULA Vice President of Government and Commercial Programs Gary Wentz said in a statement Friday. “As the nation’s premiere launch provider, the teams have worked diligently to ensure continued mission success, delivering our customer’s payloads to the precise orbits requested.”

Weather forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions for the launch, according to ULA. The only weather concern will be wind.

The Delta IV heavy rocket launch was delayed numerous times in December, most recently for a hydrogen leak in the last seconds before the anticipated launch.

Live coverage of the countdown will begin on the ULA website at 2:15 a.m. Saturday. The live video webcast will be available 20 minutes before launch, at around 10:45 a.m.

The launch will be visible from around the Central Coast. If you want an up close and personal view, Facebook page Vandenberg Launch News has compiled a list of viewing sites around Lompoc. These include the west end of Ocean Avenue, Surf Beach, Providence Landing Park and the Hawk’s Nest at Camellia Lane.

Tribune reporter Gabby Ferreira contributed to this report.

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For live updates from the launch, follow Tribune reporter Kaytlyn Leslie on Twitter, @kaytyleslie. She’ll be tweeting out photos and details from the launch Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

This story was originally published January 18, 2019 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Delta IV rocket gets ‘unanimous go’ for Vandenberg launch — again. Here’s how to watch."

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

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Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.