Boeing Delta IV Program Progresses On West Coast.Business/News Editors & Aerospace Writers VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE Vandenberg Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 3,456 acres (1,399 hectares), SW Calif., near Lompoc; chief Pacific coast launch site for military satellites. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2001 The launch table for the Boeing (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :BA) Delta IV rocket The Delta IV is a family of Delta rockets designed by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in United Launch Alliance's facility in Decatur, Alabama with final assembly at the launch site by United Launch Alliance. arrived today at Vandenberg Air Force Base to provide a solid foundation for the only West coast launch site able to support the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program was a United States government, primarily a Department of Defense–sponsored effort to develop at least one family of space launch vehicles, that would meet the long term needs of the military and fulfill commercial (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 The Horizontal Integration Facility located on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida at Launch Complex 37. It is a seven-story white building containing 2 bays measuring 250 ft by 100 ft each. Construction was completed in June 2000. , 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 and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is the East Coast space launch facility of the United States Department of Defense. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, it depends on Patrick Air Force Base, home of the 45th Space Wing. CCAFS is adjacent to the John F. , Fla. The Boeing Co. is the largest aerospace company in the world and the United States' leading exporter. It is NASA's largest contractor and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. The company's capabilities in aerospace also include rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch vehicles, satellites, and advanced information and communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries. |
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