<p><br /> The Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle rocket has taken off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.<br /> </p><p><br /> It is the largest rocket ever to launch from the US west coast.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Space Launch Complex-6, or SLC-6, has undergone three years of "preparations and $100 million in base infrastructure upgrades" to accommodate "payloads of all sizes to orbit" for rockets including the Delta IV.<br /> </p><p><br /> On this mission, Delta IV carried a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.<br /> </p><p><br /> The launch marks the fifth launch of the Delta IV in the program's history, with the first launch taking place in January of 2004 on the east coast.<br /> </p>
