Rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base scrubbed again

Wednesday, December 19, 2018
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (KABC) -- Just minutes before a scheduled liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the launch of a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office was scrubbed once again Wednesday night.

Liftoff was set for 5:44 p.m. and then moved to 5:49 p.m. until the United Launch Alliance declared a scrub less than 10 minutes before takeoff. There was talk about the buildup of hydrogen around the base of the rocket before the scrub was announced.
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The next attempt is set for Thursday at 5:31 p.m. PST.

That launch had been delayed three times before that, including Tuesday, when high-ground winds forced a postponement.

Launches from Vandenberg, especially those carried out after sundown, typically create impressive aerial light shows over Southern California and the southwestern United States.
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The Delta IV Heavy rocket will be carrying a secretive satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.



According to the company, the Delta IV Heavy rocket includes three Rocketdyne liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines that can produce a combined 2.1 million pounds of thrust.

City News Service contributed to this report.
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