Watch the Launch

Additional Media

April 26 Live Broadcast: Delta IV Heavy NROL-82

Watch live as ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA with the NROL-82 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)....

Delta IV Heavy NROL-82 United Launch Alliance (ULA) Rocket Launch

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-82 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

NROL-82

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Space Launch Complex 6 Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA Probability: 40%

Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

Infographic

Geoff Barrett is an independent graphic artist that creates launch infographics for space flight events.

Updates

Nosu • April 26, 2021, 9:59 p.m.

Successful launch


Nosu • April 26, 2021, 7:09 p.m.

Now targeting 20:47 UTC


SwGustav • April 25, 2021, 9:49 p.m.

Weather 40% GO


Delta IV Heavy

Family: Delta
Configuration: Heavy

The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) is an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest type of the Delta IV family, and is the world's second highest-capacity rocket in operation. It is manufactured by United Launch Alliance and was first launched in 2004.

See Delta Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    72.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    733 T
  • Thrust
    8674 kN
Family
  • Name
    Delta IV Heavy
  • Family
    Delta
  • Variant
    Heavy
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Delta IV Heavy
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $350000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    28370 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    14210 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    14500 kg
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

United Launch Alliance

Circle Image
CEO: Tory Bruno Founded: 2006 Successes: 156 Failures: 0 Pending: 31

Agency Type: Commercial

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI

Related News

SpaceNews

Delta 4 Heavy sends spy satellite to orbit in ULA’s first launch of 2021

United Launch Alliance launched NROL-82 on a Delta 4 Heavy rocket April 26 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Spaceflight Now

Photos: Delta 4-Heavy rocket awaits liftoff from historic SLC-6 launch pad

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket is awaiting liftoff with a classified U.S. government spy satellite at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s historic Space Launch Complex-6, a picturesque rocket facility that was once intended to suppo…

NASA Spaceflight

ULA Delta IV Heavy launches NROL-82 national security mission

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base Monday, carrying to orbit the classified NROL-82 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.  The launch occurred at 13:47 Pacific Dayl…

Spaceflight Now

One of ULA’s four remaining Delta 4 rockets set to launch from California

United Launch Alliance ground crews on California’s Central Coast are gearing up to send a classified U.S. government spy satellite into orbit as soon as Monday — weather permitting — aboard one of the company’s four remaining Delta 4-Heav…

NASA Spaceflight

ULA completes Delta IV Heavy pad upgrades ahead of NROL-82 mission

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has recently made pad upgrades to Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, ahead of the upcoming Delta IV Heavy launch of the NROL-82 mission for the National Reconnaissance Offi…

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 6


Long March 2D
Success
16 hours, 4 minutes ago
PIESAT-1 x 4
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for PIESAT (1 main, 3 sub-satellites), operating in tandem using very long baseline in…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 6 hours ago
Starlink Group 5-10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 56 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2-1v
Success
1 day, 6 hours ago
Kosmos 2568 (EO MKA-4)
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Russian reconnaissance satellite of unknown purposes, possibly in the same series as Kosmos 2551, 2555 and 2560.


Shavit-2
Success
2 days, 3 hours ago
Ofek-13
Unknown Pad - Palmachim Airbase, State of Israel

Ofek is a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites. Ofek-13 is an Israeli SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) reconnaissance satellite that combines hi…


LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III)
Success
4 days, 23 hours ago
OneWeb 18
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Sriharikota, Republic of India

A batch of 36 satellites for the OneWeb satellite constellation, which is intended to provide global Internet broadband service for individual consum…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 11 hours ago
Starlink Group 5-5
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 56 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
6 days, 17 hours ago
The Beat Goes On
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Payload consists of 2 second generation Earth-imaging satellites for BlackSky. They are part of a constellation of 60 Low Earth Orbit Earth imagin…


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week ago
Kosmos 2567 (Bars-M No. 4)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a success…


Terran 1
Failure
1 week ago
Good Luck, Have Fun (Maiden Flight)
Launch Complex 16 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Maiden launch of the Terran 1 rocket developed by Relativity Space.


Kuaizhou
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Tianmu-1 03-06
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park. 01 & 02 were launched on Gala…