This morning, August 22nd, the United Launch Alliance is set to fly the very last mission of its Delta IV Medium rocket, a single-core vehicle that’s been launching to space since 2002. This final flight will be the 29th mission of the Delta IV Medium. The vehicle is now being retired as ULA works to consolidate its technology and develop a new generation of rockets.
The Delta IV is the last remaining descendant of the Delta family of rockets, a long line of vehicles that date back to the birth of the modern space era. The original Deltas, built by the Douglas Aircraft Company (now part of Boeing), were derived from an old Air Force ballistic missile called Thor. The first successful Delta launch occurred in 1960, lofting a…