Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Launch Vehicles

Delta IV Heavy

United States

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The most powerful American launch vehicle of its era before SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, built from three Delta IV Common Booster Cores strapped together. It launched some of the U.S. government's heaviest and most classified national-security payloads, along with NASA's uncrewed Orion test flight in 2014, until its retirement in 2024.

Facts
Vehicle Class
Heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle 1
Manufacturer
Boeing / United Launch Alliance 1
First Flight Date
2004-12-21 1
Status
Retired in 2024 after its final flight, a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. 1
Height (m)
72 1
Payload to LEO (kg)
Approximately 28,790 kg. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Operated By

Part Of

Delta IV, Launch Vehicles

The three-core heavy variant of the Delta IV family, sharing its Common Booster Core design.

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