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December 3, 2002

America's newest space launch rockets, the Delta IV, had a successful first launch on November 20th. The Delta IV is a modular system, allowing engine and fuel tank parts to be configured to launch satellites of from 5 to 14 tons. One of the features of the Delta IV is a second stage that can put itself into orbit and restart its engine for precise placement of satellites. Launch cost is said to be under $10 million per ton of payload.