First operational success for Delta IV Heavy.

United Launch Alliance successfully launched the first operational Delta IV Heavy expendable launch vehicle for the US Air Force on 10 November from Space Launch Complex-37, carrying the service's Defense Support Program-23 satellite. A Delta IV Heavy demonstration flight was launched from SLC-37 in December 2004. The launch also marks the fourth ULA mission conducted for the Air Force this year and the 10th ULA mission in 2007.

Weighing 5,200 pounds, the DSP-23 satellite completed a 6 hour, 20 minute mission and was deployed into its proper orbit. The DSP-23 launch completes the deployment of the DSP constellation, which provides early warning for intercontinental ballistic missile launches and have been used by the military for more than 30 years.

DSP satellites use infrared sensors to detect heat from missile and booster plumes against the Earth's background. Operated from the Space Based Infrared Systems Mission Control Station at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., DSP satellites provide accurate and reliable launch detection data to the warfighter.

The ULA Delta IV Heavy vehicle featured a common booster core with two, strap-on common booster cores. Each common booster core was powered by the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 cryogenic engine. An RL10B-2 cryogenic engine, upgraded from the RL10 engine that has been in use for more than four decades, powered the second stage.

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