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Launch site: SLC-6, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Destination: (classified)
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. This launch was supposed to happen on Dec 9, but the launch was scrubbed at T minus 7 seconds, even as fires burned beneath the rocket (a normal procedure to burn off excess hydrogen). Scrubbed again on Dec 18, Dec 19 (due to "elevated hydrogen levels within the port booster engine section"), and Dec 20. Delayed from Dec 30, Jan 6.

The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket.

Delta IV Heavy specs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Manufacturer: United Launch Alliance
Country of Origin: United States
Cost per launch: $350 million (2018)
Height: 72 m (236 ft)
Diameter: 5 m (16 ft)
Width: 15 m (49 ft)
Mass: 733,000 kg (1,616,000 lb)
Stages: 2+
Max Payload to LEO: 28,790 kg (63,470 lb)
Max Payload to GTO: 14,220 kg (31,350 lb)

First Stage + 2x Boosters specs (per each)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Height: 40.8 m (134 ft)
Diameter: 5.1 m (17 ft)
Gross mass: 226,400 kg (499,100 lb)
Propellant mass: 200,400 kg (441,800 lb)
Engines: 1 RS-68A
Thrust: 3,140 kN (710,000 lbf)
Specific impulse at sea level: 360 s (3.5 km/s)
Specific impulse in vacuum: 412 s (4.04 km/s)
Fuel: LH2 / LOX (liquid hydrogen / liquid oxygen)

Second Stage specs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Height: 13.7 m (45 ft)
Diameter: 5.1 m (17 ft)
Gross mass: 30,700 kg (67,700 lb)
Propellant mass: 27,220 kg (60,010 lb)
Engines: 1 RL10-B-2
Thrust: 110 kN (25,000 lbf)
Specific impulse: 462 s (4.53 km/s)
Fuel: LH2 / LOX (liquid hydrogen / liquid oxygen)

Saturn V specs (for comparison)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturn V cost per launch: $1.16B (adjusted)
Saturn V Height: 110.6 m (363.0 ft)
Saturn V Diameter: 10.1 m (33.0 ft)
Saturn V Mass: 2,970,000 kg (6,540,000 lb)
Saturn V Payload to LEO: 140,000 kg (310,000 lb)
Saturn V First stage engines: 5 Rocketdyne F-1
Saturn V Total thrust at Sea level: 35.1 MN (7,891,000 lbf)
Saturn V Specific impulse at Sea level: 263 seconds (2.58 km/s)
Saturn V First stage Burn time: 168 seconds
Saturn V First stage Fuel: RP-1 / LOX

Comparison of various rockets' pound-force of thrust at liftoff:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Delta IV Heavy: 2.12M lbf (3 common booster cores w/ 1 RS-68A engine each)
- Falcon Heavy: 5.1M lbf (3 Falcon booster cores w/ 9 Merlin 1D engines each)
RETIRED:
- Space Shuttle: 7.8M lbf (2 solid rocket boosters + 3 RS-25 main engines)
- Saturn V: 7.891M lbf (5 Rocketdyne F-1 engines)
- Energia (only reached orbit twice): 7.8M lbf (4 RD-0120 engines + 4 boosters w/ 1 RD-170 engine each)
NEVER REACHED ORBIT:
- N1 (Soviet Moon rocket): 10.2M lbf (30 NK-15 engines)
IN DEVELOPMENT:
- SLS: 8.87M lbf (2 solid rocket boosters + 4 RS-25D/E engines)
- Starship (2nd stage): 2.7M lbf (6 Raptor engines)
- Super Heavy (Starship 1st stage): 16M lbf (31 Raptor engines)

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