A Boeing Delta IV rocket arrived today at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to provide a solid foundation for the only West coast launch site able to support the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
“In our efforts to retrofit Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6), the installation of the launch table is a key element in the process of converting the former space shuttle launch pad into a fully operational facility for the Boeing Delta IV,” said Ken Liptak, Boeing site manager.
Weighing 650 tons, or the equivalent of approximately 430 automobiles, the massive launch table stands 23 feet high, spans 46 feet wide and stretches 86 feet long. The structure serves as the platform from which the Delta IV rocket is launched.
“In addition to the launch table, we are also enlarging the existing mobile service tower, and completing the construction of the West coast Horizontal Integration Facility, where the Delta IV is assembled horizontally to increase efficiency and reduce on-pad time to about 10 days,” said Liptak. The Delta IV will launch government and commercial payloads from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
