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Common Booster Core

This article is about the Delta IV first stage. For the Atlas V booster, see Common Core Booster.
Common Booster Core
Delivery of the CBC used as the first stage of Delta 342, which launched GOES 14
ManufacturerBoeing (1998–2006)
United Launch Alliance (2006—2023)
Country of originUnited States
Used onDelta IV (stage 1)
Delta IV Heavy (boosters)
General characteristics
Height40.8 m (134 ft)
Diameter5.1 m (17 ft)
Gross mass226,400 kg (499,100 lb)
Launch history
StatusRetired
Total launches45
Delta IV CBC
Powered by1x RS-68
Maximum thrust3,312.76 kN (744,740 lbf)
Burn time367 s
PropellantLOX/LH2
Delta first stages in front of the Horizontal Integration Facility at SLC-37.

The Common Booster Core (CBC) was an American rocket stage, which was used on the Delta IV rocket as part of a modular rocket system. Delta IV rockets flying in the Medium and Medium+ configurations each used a single Common Booster Core as their first stage, while the Heavy configuration used three; one as the first stage and two as boosters.[1] The Common Booster Core was 40.8 metres (134 ft) long, had a diameter of 5.1 metres (17 ft) and was powered by a single RS-68 engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.[2]

The first static test-firing of a Common Booster Core was conducted on 17 March 2001, and the final test of the initial program was conducted on 6 May.[3] Testing was conducted using Test Stand B-2 of the Stennis Space Center,[4] a facility originally constructed for testing of the first stages of Saturn V rockets during the 1960s. The first launch of a Common Booster Core was the maiden flight of the Delta IV, which was launched from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on 20 November 2002.[5]

The first flight of the Delta IV Heavy, featuring three Common Booster Cores, was conducted on 21 December 2004. On this flight all three CBCs malfunctioned, cutting off prematurely due to cavitation in their oxidizer lines, and resulting in the rocket reaching a lower orbit than that which had been planned. In response to the failure, additional pressure valves were installed on future launches.[6]

The Delta IV made 45 flights; 29 in Medium and Medium+ configurations, and 16 in the Heavy configuration, resulting in a total of 77 Common Booster Cores being launched.[7][8] Delta IV retired on April 24 2024.

The CBCs were manufactured in United Launch Alliance's 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m2) manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama and then transported by the RS RocketShip to either Vandenberg Air Force Base or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where they were integrated with the spacecraft and other components such as strap-on boosters and a Delta Cryogenic Second Stage.[9]

  1. ^ "Countdown 101: Delta IV". NASA. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "Delta RS-68". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  3. ^ "Delta 4 Core Booster Rocket Engine Completes Test Program". Space.com. 9 May 2001. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Stennis Space Center Tours and Briefings on Boeing Rocketdyne's RS-68 engine for the Delta IV". SpaceRef. 30 October 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2010.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  6. ^ Ray, Justin (10 April 2005). "Fixes ordered across Boeing's Delta 4 rocket line". Delta Launch Report. Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  7. ^ Kyle, Ed. "Delta IV Launch Record". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Graham, William (24 September 2022). "Last West Coast Delta IV Heavy launches with NROL-91". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  9. ^ Boeing: Multimedia - Image Gallery - Delta IV Launch Vehicle Manufacturing - Decatur, Alabama Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine

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