Alabama lawmakers celebrate Decatur-based ULA’s latest rocket launch

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September 18, 2018

After Saturday’s launching of the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Alabama lawmakers took to Twitter to celebrate the success ofUnited Launch Alliance (ULA)’s Delta II rocket, which was built at the company’s Decatur facility.

Fresh off of the historic launch of an Alabama-built rocket in August, NASA once again counted on Alabama craftsmanship to send its latest earth-studying satellite into space. The new satellite will have the capability of measuring the dimensions of ice and land masses within four millimeters.

The occasion also marked the end of an era in the rocket industry for the Delta II, which was first launched into service on February 14, 1989. This was the 155^th and final flight of the Delta II. Missions will now shift to the newer Atlas V and Delta IV, also manufactured at the ULA facility in Decatur.

Alabama leaders applauded the made-in-Alabama rocket and the company’s tremendous success.

This morning, @ULALaunch’s #DeltaII rocket successfully launched @NASA‘s #ICESat2 mission to study ice around Earth. Congratulations to ULA on their 130th consecutive successful launch!

— Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) September 15, 2018

Thank you! Proud that #DeltaII is #ALMade! https://t.co/65XAiLC2Mv

— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 15, 2018

Congratulations to @ulalaunch on the 130th successful launch of the Delta II rocket Saturday, carrying NASA’s ICESat2 satellite (built by @northropgrumman ). An unmatched record of successful flights. pic.twitter.com/Y62pGzqsmj

— Rep. Robert Aderholt (@Robert_Aderholt) September 17, 2018

Congratulations to the men and women of @NASA and @ulalaunch for the historic launch of #ICESat2 on a #DeltaII rocket, the 155th and final #DeltaII to fly! #MadeInAL https://t.co/9gDG3nMlGp

— Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) September 17, 2018

Launch highlights! ULA’s #DeltaII rocket launches @NASA‘s #ICESat2 mission. The mission marked the final launch of the workhorse rocket, capping 29 years of launching missions for NASA, @usairforce, @NatReconOfc and commercial customers. pic.twitter.com/8bbMiPyqjE

— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 16, 2018

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

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