Edhat Staff
Delta IV Heavy (Photo: United Launch Alliance)
Update by edhat staff
After several date changes, Vandenberg Air Force Base announced their launch dates of the Falcon 9 rocket and Delta IV are uncertain.
“We know many of you are waiting for updates on the upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 and ULA Delta IV Heavy launches. New launch dates have not been confirmed yet, but we will make sure to pass on updates as they are made available,” the 30th Space Wing of VAFB wrote in a statement posted on Facebook around 1:00 p.m. Monday.
By edhat staff
Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) plans to launch the Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday morning.
VAFB originally planned to launch on Tuesday morning, but was pushed back to Wednesday with a liftoff time of 7:43 a.m. PST.
The Falcon 9 rocket will carry Iridum NEXT satellites 66-75 into orbit.
On the other hand, the Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-7 mission launch that has been re-scheduled approximately six times, has now been indefinitely delayed.
“We continue to remedy the technical issues that caused the last scrub of the Delta IV Heavy, and are working with our partners, the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Air Force, to ensure that we fly when it is safe to do so,” said Gary Wentz, vice president of Government and Commercial programs, “we understand that this is a high-priority mission for the nation’s warfighters and we take our commitment to safety and mission assurance seriously.”
A new launch date and time will be provided pending the results of additional testing.
Past Articles
December 29, 2018: Delta IV Heavy Launch Moved to January 6
I’m seeing mentions in the news that the U.S. government shutdown is affecting NASA, FAA, government contractors, and specifically the Vandenberg launch team. All of these are required for launch, and no date is known as to when the shutdown might end or how long the recovery would take after that.