VANDENBERG AFB, CA - After a short delay caused by a minor problem with a second stage battery, a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket successfully delivered DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 commercial satellite into orbit after launching the spacecraft from Space Launch Complex-2 at 1:51 a.m. EDT at Vendenberg Air Force Base in California today.
READ: DELTA II WORLDVIEW-2 MISSION BOOK FREE VIDEO: WATCH: T-2 MIN TO T+4 MIN: DELTA II LAUNCHES WORLDVIEW-2 WATCH: A TRACKING CAMERA CAPTURES 2ND STAGE SEPARATION AND IGNITION WATCH: MOBILE SERVICE TOWER IS ROLLED BACK BEFORE LAUNCH ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: DOWNLOAD VIDEO: REPLAY OF FULL LAUNCH BROADCAST, COURTESY ULA - PART 1 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: REPLAY OF FULL LAUNCH BROADCAST, COURTESY ULA - PART 2 After an approximately one-hour flight, the WorldView-2 spacecraft was successfully deployed into its proper orbit. WorldView-2 was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit where the spacecraft will perform its mission of collecting high resolution commercial digital Earth imagery from space. “Congratulations to both DigitalGlobe and Boeing Launch Services for this tremendous launch success,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Delta Product Line. “ULA appreciates the confidence that DigitalGlobe has shown in our Delta team by launching Worldview-2 and two prior missions on Delta II rockets. Delta II has achieved a launch success record of nearly 99 percent, which is an incredible achievement and we are extremely proud to provide reliable and cost-effective launch services for our customers.” Col. David Buck, the 30th Space Wing commander at Vandenberg, was the launch decision authority for this mission. "There really is nothing quite as exciting as seeing one of these powerful little rockets jump off the pad," Col Buck said. "I'm incredibly proud of this wing and its mission partners for the way they conquer the immense technical difficulties of space lift operations and make it look so easy." Once operational, WorldView-2 will join a constellation of satellites belonging to DigitalGlobe. It will produce high-resolution, world-imagery products and services for defense and intelligence, government, and commercial clients. This was ULA’s seventh Delta II launch of 2009 and 12th overall launch of the year. ULA began processing the Delta II launch vehicle in Decatur, Ala., two years ago. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. First launched in 1989, the Delta II's primary mission was to carry Air Force GPS satellites into orbit. Today, it is used to launch military, civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits. "The Delta II is one of my favorite rockets; I've been launching them since I was a lieutenant colonel," Colonel Buck said. "I'm very confident whenever I am working with this rocket, but I am even more confident when I work with this team." For WorldView-2, the ULA Delta II 7920-10 configuration vehicle featured a first stage booster powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket motors. An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. The payload was encased by a 10-foot-diameter payload fairing. ULA's next launch, currently scheduled for Oct. 18, is the DMSP-18 satellite for the U.S. Air Force aboard an Atlas V from Space Launch Complex-3 here.           
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