A United launch Alliance Delta-IV rocket carried the next generation Wideband Global SATCOM-4 satellite for the USAF into orbit under a crystal clear moonless sky Thursday night, right on time at 7:38pm EST.
"The 45th Space Wing is extremely proud of the partnership that propelled this crucial payload to orbit" said Chris Calkins, Chief of Media Relations at the 45th Space Wing. "It was a beautiful launch".launch". The Wideband Global SATCOM, or WGS, system of satellites is a powerful new military communications system which will provide enhanced communications (on an unprecedented level) to troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. WSG-4 marks the fourth installment of the WGS system. "We are honored to have worked closely with our Air Force and mission partners to enable today’s successful launch of the WGS-4 satellite. WGS-4 will provide important capabilities to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines protecting our freedoms around the world," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations. "This mission begins the most aggressive launch campaign in the history of the EELV program, with nine national security and two NASA launches scheduled this year." 
(Photo Credit: Zero-G News' Mike Killian captured this stunning streak shot of the Delta blasting into the nighttime sky with WGS-4.) Conditions could not have been more perfect at launch time, the weather forecast gradually bettered from 90% odds of favorable weather to 100% odds of perfect weather come launch time. Skies were clear, winds were light, and the stars shined bright as the Delta-IV thundered off pad 37 under a moonless sky. This was the second time the Delta IV medium-plus rocket featured four ATK 60-inch-diameter Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM). The 53-foot-long motors were mounted in pairs on opposing sides of the rocket, with one fixed and one vectorable nozzle per side. They burned for 90 seconds and provided more than 1.1 million pounds of thrust to deliver the WGS-4 satellite to its determined orbit. ATK has manufactured 51 GEM-60 boosters for the Delta IV launch vehicle since the initial flight in 2002 The nozzle for Delta IV's RS-68 engine was designed and manufactured at ATK's Promontory, Utah facility. The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-built RS-68 is the largest hydrogen-fueled engine in the world. ATK also designed and produced the nozzle's thermal protection material, which is capable of shielding the nozzle from the extreme heat of launch when external temperatures can exceed 4,000 degrees F. (Mike Killian / Zero-G News)
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