Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No performance specsNo structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family. | |||||
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| USA 353 Mission | Delta 4H B | Apr 9, 2024 |
| USA 345 Mission | Delta 4H B | Jun 22, 2023 |
| USA 338 Mission | Delta 4H B | Sep 24, 2022 |
| USA 314 Mission |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Delta 4H | Not stated | 8 | Retired |
Delta 4H A | Not stated | 5 | Retired |
Delta 4H B | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Delta 4M | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Delta 4H A |
| Apr 26, 2021 |
| USA 311 Mission | Delta 4H A | Dec 11, 2020 |
| GPS III SV02 Mission | Delta 4M+(4,2) A | Aug 22, 2019 |
| WGS 10 | Delta 4M+(5,4) A | Mar 16, 2019 |
| USA 290 Mission | Delta 4H A | Jan 19, 2019 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Delta 4M+(4,2) | Not stated | 13 | Retired |
Delta 4M+(4,2) A | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Delta 4M+(5,2) | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Delta 4M+(5,2) A | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Delta 4M+(5,4) | Not stated | 4 | Retired |
Delta 4M+(5,4) A | Not stated | 4 | Retired |
The Delta IV Heavy vehicle will be retired after the two remaining contracted launches are completed.
United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch a Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office mission on 2022-09-24 from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
United Launch Alliance is under contract to launch two more Delta IV Heavy missions in 2023 and 2024 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Each of the three Delta IV Heavy booster RS-68A engines delivers 319,896 kg (312.3 kilo-Newtons) of thrust at sea level and burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is launching the NROL-91 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office on 2022-09-24 at 2:53 p.m. PDT (5:53 p.m. EDT; 2153 UTC).
United Launch Alliance took over Space Launch Complex-6 in 2000 and refitted it to serve as the west coast home for the Delta IV launch vehicle family with modifications to the Assembly Building, Mobile Service Tower, Launch Tower, and other support structures.
The first two pairs of GSSAP satellites were launched in 2014 and 2016 on ULA Delta IV Medium rockets.
Space Delta 4 at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado operates the Space Force’s missile warning satellites.
Space Delta 4 operates the Defense Support Program and the Space Based Infrared System satellites as well as ground-based radars used for strategic and theater missile warning.
United Launch Alliance announced in 2015 that it would build the Vulcan rocket as its next-generation vehicle to replace Atlas 5 and Delta 4.
ESPA rings were originally developed to carry secondary payloads on Pentagon-funded Atlas V and Delta IV launches and have become a standard for accommodating small satellites on EELV-class and commercial launches such as United Launch Alliance vehicles and SpaceX Falcon 9.
United Launch Alliance launched a GPS satellite in 2019 on the final flight of the Delta 4 Medium rocket before retiring that vehicle.
United Launch Alliance announced in 2015 that it would build Vulcan as its next-generation rocket to replace the Atlas 5 and the Delta 4.
Space Delta 4 established communications with the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite following its launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
United Launch Alliance was formed in 2006 and refitted Space Launch Complex-6 to serve as the West Coast home for the Delta IV launch vehicle family with modifications to the Mobile Assembly Shelter, Mobile Service Tower, Launch Tower, and other support structures.
Northrop Grumman produced 11 large composite structures for the ULA Delta IV Heavy, including three thermal shields, three centerbody structures, the payload fairing, the composite interstage on the center common booster core, the nose cones on the two strap-on boosters, and one set of X-panel structures.
The Delta IV Heavy can lift 14,210 kg (14,211 kg) to geostationary orbit.
Northrop Grumman manufactured the propellant tank for the Delta IV upper stage roll control system at its Commerce, California facility.
Northrop Grumman manufactured the large-scale composite structures for the Delta IV Heavy at its facility in Iuka, Mississippi, using advanced hand layup, machining, and inspection techniques.
The Delta IV Heavy features three side-by-side core stages, each powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A engine generating 319,782 kg of thrust at liftoff.