A #photograph of a United Launch Alliance #ULA #DeltaIV Medium+ beginning to carry its payload, #WGS-5, the fifth satellite in the Wideband Global #Satcom system that enables the US #DOD and its international partners to keep in contact with deployed military units and ensure secure communications.
The Delta IV Medium+ has a 5 m fairing and 4 #GEM60 solid rocket boosters #SRBs. Its #exhaust is incredibly bright and interesting against the twilight sky.
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/1-delta-iv-medium-launches-with-wgs-5-heron-and-fox.html

After a #rocket #launch, the exhaust, often mostly water, can create a condensation trail, which is twisted by the wind. And when the Sun is just beyond the horizon, it can illuminate these trails high in the atmosphere in fantastic, #colorful ways. This #phenomenon is sometimes called a #launchjellyfish because the trail can expand in different ways depending on the #launchvehicle and weather conditions, sometimes taking the shape of a giant #jellyfish in the sky.
This trail was created by the a United Launch Alliance #ULA #DeltaIV Medium+ with a 5 meter fairing and 4 #GEM60 solid rocket boosters #SRBs, carrying #WGS5, the fifth Wideband Global #Satcom satellite for the US #DoD and international partners.
https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/vapor-trail-of-delta-iv-with-wgs-5-heron-and-fox.html