The scheduled launch of a rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County that was originally scheduled for Friday and reset for Saturday was called off at T-minus 7 seconds due to a problem detected by the Terminal Countdown Sequencer Rack, according to United Launch Alliance.
ULA completes Delta IV Heavy pad upgrades ahead of NROL-82 mission
April 19, 2021
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has recently made pad upgrades to Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, ahead of the upcoming Delta IV Heavy launch of the NROL-82 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office scheduled for April 26 at 15:39 EDT / 19:39 UTC.
The previous Delta IV Heavy mission, NROL-44 from SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral, Florida, was plagued by numerous issues, scrubs, and aborts that uncovered issues with the launch pad and its facilities.
After rolling to the pad in November 2019, the flight reached its first launch attempt on August 27, 2020. This attempt ended without fueling of the vehicle after a heater and pneumatic issue forced controllers to scrub the launch.