CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A Delta IV rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday night after a one-day delay to troubleshoot a technical problem.
The 217-foot-tall United Launch Alliance rocket launched at 8:27 p.m. at Launch Complex 37.
An initial attempt was called off Thursday when a leak from a gaseous helium line could not be pinpointed and fixed in time for a launch during the 30-minute window. Gaseous helium is used to purge rocket propulsion systems and keep them properly conditioned for flight.
The Delta IV is taking a $342 million U.S. military communications satellite into orbit.
The Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft is the fifth in a series of new-generation satellites that provide U.S. and allied military forces with high-capacity broadband communications capability. A single Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft provides as much bandwidth as an entire constellation of prior-generation Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) spacecraft.
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