Delta II
Delta II was a rocket used to launch various projects into space. The Delta series of rockets were first designed and made by McDonnell Douglas. This company joined with Boeing in 1997. Delta II rockets had been made since 2006 by United Launch Alliance, which is a joint company owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to supply launch rockets to the US government. Boeing Launch Services supplied Delta II rockets to private companies.
| Delta II | |
|---|---|
| retired expendable launch system in the Delta rocket family | |
 A Delta II rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral | |
| Has use | Launch vehicle |
| Manufacturer | United Launch Alliance |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Cost per launch | US$51 million in 1987 (7920-10 mod.)[1] |
| Size | |
| Height | 38.2–39 m (125–128 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) |
| Mass | 151,700–231,870 kg (334,440–511,190 lb) |
| Stages | 2 or 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 2,700–6,100 kg (6,000–13,400 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 900–2,170 kg (1,980–4,780 lb) |
| Payload to HCO | |
| Mass | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral SLC-17 Vandenberg AFB SLC-2W |
| Total launches | 156 Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 132 Delta 7000H: 6 |
| Success(es) | 154 Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 130 Delta 7000H: 6 |
| Failure(s) | 1 (Delta 7000) |
| Partial failure(s) | 1 (Delta 7000) |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight | |
| Boosters (6000 Series) – Castor 4A | |
| No. boosters | 9 |
| Powered by | Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 478 kN (107,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 266 s (2.61 km/s) |
| Burn time | 56 s |
| Boosters (7000 Series) – GEM 40 | |
| No. boosters | 3, 4, or 9 |
| Powered by | Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 492.9 kN (110,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 274 s (2.69 km/s) |
| Burn time | 64 s |
| Boosters (7000 Heavy) – GEM 46 | |
| No. boosters | 9 |
| Powered by | Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 628.3 kN (141,200 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 278 s (2.73 km/s) |
| Burn time | 75 s |
| First stage – Thor/Delta XLT(-C) | |
| Powered by | 1 RS-27 (6000 series) or RS-27A (7000 series)[2] |
| Maximum thrust | 1,054 kN (237,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 302 s (2.96 km/s) |
| Burn time | 265 s |
| Propellant | LOX/RP-1 |
| Second stage – Delta K | |
| Powered by | 1 AJ10-118K |
| Maximum thrust | 43.6 kN (9,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 319 s (3.13 km/s) |
| Burn time | 431 s |
| Propellant | N 2O 4 / Aerozine 50 |
| Third stage – PAM-D (optional) | |
| Powered by | Star 48B |
| Maximum thrust | 66 kN (15,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 286 s (2.80 km/s) |
| Burn time | 87 s |
The Delta II rockets were based on the Thor rockets built in the 1950's. These were first made to be intercontinental ballistic missiles. The first Thor was launched on January 26, 1957.[3] The Delta II rocket was first launched on 14 February 1989.[3] The rocket was developed after the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. The US Air Force needed another way to launch its GPS satellites.[3] As of 2018, there had been 156 Delta II launches from both Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Vandenberg Air Force Base.[3] Only two launches were unsuccessful. On 5 August 1995, a rocket motor failure meant the Koreasat 1 was put into a lower orbit. On 17 January 1997, Delta 241 carrying the GPS IIR-1 exploded 13 seconds after taking off.[3]
The last time the Delta II took off on 15 September 2018, when she carried the ICESat-2 satellite.[4][5][6]
References
change- ↑ "Delta II 7920H-10 - SPACEFLIGHT101". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "Boeing: Integrated Defense Systems - Delta - Delta II Launch Vehicle Family". Archived from the original on 3 November 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Graham, William (28 October 2011). "Delta II successfully launches NPP satellite on behalf of NASA and NOAA". nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ↑ Graham, William (2 July 2014). "ULA Delta II successfully lofts OCO-2 to orbit". NASASpaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- ↑ "NASA Selects Launch Services Contract For Three Missions". MarketWatch. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ↑ "NASA Selects Launch Services for ICESat-2 Mission". NASA Kennedy Space Center. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
Related pages
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