Delta IV Heavy flies -Now let's talk Atlas V Heavy

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backspace

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Alright, so from what I've been able to tell, Lockmart has really done ZERO work on Atlas V heavy. Everything they have is solely research. If anyone has better info, please, point me at it.<br /><br />From what I've been able to glean, Lockheed has not built any infrastructure for the heavy, and the costs associated with Atlas in general make any real chances of us seeing Atlas V Heavy fly very remote. <br /><br />Here's my question - if they are getting all these swapped AF missions from Boeing relating back to the "espionage", missions that Boeing planned on needing the Delta IV Heavy for... what are they going to launch them on? I know the AF paid for the demo yesterday because they were in a single-contractor situation...
 
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najab

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The launches that got awarded back to LM were, TTBOMK, Air Force missions. The Delta-4 heavy launches will be primarily for the NRO. I believe that it was the NRO who ultimately paid for the mission yesterday - through the AF.
 
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CalliArcale

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I believe you are correct. The two Delta IV Heavy launches scheduled for 2005 include a missile warning satellite and a classified NRO payload. They were not negotiable, really; it was much too late to shift them to another launcher. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>
 
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padrat

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LM has actually completed a substantial amount of engineering work on A-5 HLV. They've told us one could be delivered 30 months from date of order. Their launch infrastructure at CCAFS is scarred for modification to accommodate HLV, and the commodities (fuels, gases, ECS) were sized for it during design and construction at SLC 41.<br /><br />I believe we will see an A-5 HLV in the not too distant future. (And personally, I'd rather buy one of them than a D-IV Heavy). <br /><br />-Pad rat-
 
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