"That was amazing!" Delta IV Heavy wows in its fiery farewell launch from Cape Canaveral
After waiting almost two weeks, the Delta IV Heavy launched on its farewell flight Tuesday, giving spectators one final show. The wait, for many, was worth it.
As the rocket rose into the sky, cheers, possibly some tears, erupted at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It was the rumble from the massive rocket's triple core that both surprised and thrilled most spectators.
This performance came after a March 28 launch attempt scrubbed during a weather hold at T-4 minutes. On that particular day, spectators sat on the lawn outside the Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit at the Visitor Complex with mixed emotions. As the large screen showing the live steam flashed the word “SCRUB”, looks of confusion quickly turned into sighs of disappointment.
Tuesday felt altogether different.
This “most metal” of rockets wowed spectators with its farewell performance just before 1 p.m from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 37. As it rose into the sky, the crowd clapped and cheered until the Delta IV Heavy slipped into the clouds and was out of view. The secretive mission was for the National Reconnaissance Office.
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Delta IV Heavy rocket launch day
As the morning hours inched closer to launch time, bright sunshine and blue skies graced the area over Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Space enthusiasts who wished to see the last Delta fly, as well as visitors who were curious about what all the hype was about, gathered outside the Space Shuttle Atlantis building and the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
Earlier that morning, Tory Bruno, the CEO of United Launch Alliance, the maker of the Delta IV Heavy, had tweeted “Feeling like a good day to go to space”.
Crowds watched the screens broadcasting a live stream and looked skyward in anticipation. As the countdown approached T-0, many pulled out their cell phones to record the moment.
Delta IV Heavy launch does not disappoint
Michael Gratz, 49, and his son, William Gratz, 11, were in Florida on vacation from the United Kingdom. Gratz works as a chef, and wanted to spend time with his son. Their plan was initially to head to Universal Studios, but William wasn't feeling up to it.
William, a fifth-grader, had never seen a rocket, and said he didn't know what to expect.
"I thought that was amazing," Gratz said as he stood with his son after the launch. "To see it, and then hear it so much later on, I thought that was really cool."
William agreed: "I thought it was really cool, especially because a minute after it launched there was this big boom."
Michaela Fuchs, 35, was on a vacation with her parents, Ingrid and Johann Fuchs, who are visiting from Germany. Fuchs grew up in Germany, but has since moved to North Carolina to work in the field of nephrology.
Fuchs recalls her parents taking her on vacation to Kennedy Space Center decades ago when she was still a child. Having such a fond memory of that family vacation, Fuchs decided to bring her parents to the Visitor Complex during their visit. They didn't see a launch back in the day, but this visit, they got lucky.
Not only did they catch the SpaceX Starlink launch on Sunday evening, but they also saw the last ever Delta IV Heavy. She described the rumbling sound of the launch as "spectacular."
Read the recap of the launch day: Delta IV Heavy's final fiery liftoff sends huge rocket into retirement from Cape Canaveral
Meanwhile, Joan Holtz from West Palm was leaving the site with her lively travel group. The group just happened to be in the area when the launch was happening.
"I thought it was fabulous!" Holtz said, reflecting on the launch. She told FLORIDA TODAY that she was not surprised by the delay in the rumble reaching the audience, who were sitting miles away at a safe distance. With light traveling faster than sound, spectators saw the rocket minutes before hearing the powerful rumbling of the monster rocket.
After 63 years of payload service, the Delta family of rockets now joins the history books.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: "That was amazing!" Final Delta rocket launches from Cape Canaveral
