Delta II
A Delta II rocket launches from Cape Canaveral carrying the Dawn spacecraft. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield Dawn, launched on September 27 2007 is a Robotic spacecraft being sent by NASA on a Space exploration mission to the two most massive members
Fact sheet
Function	Launch vehicle
Manufacturer	United Launch Alliance (Boeing IDS)
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch (1987)	$36. In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 7m (USD)
Size
Height	38. 2 - 39 m (125. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 3 - 127 ft)
Diameter	2. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 44 m (8 ft)
Mass	151,700 - 231,870 kg (334,300 - 511,180 lb)
Stages	2 or 3
Capacity
Payload to LEO	2,700 - 6,100 kg (5,960 - 13,440 lb)
Payload to GTO	900 - 2,170 kg (1,980 - 4,790 lb)
Launch History
Status	Active
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral LC-17 Vandenberg AFB SLC-2W
Total launches	135 Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 114 Delta 7000H: 4
Successes	133 Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 112 Delta 7000H: 4
Failures	1 (Delta 7000)
Partial failures	1 (Delta 7000)
Maiden flight	Delta 6000: 14 February 1989 Delta 7000: 26 November 1990 Delta 7000H: 8 July 2003
Last flight	Delta 6000: 24 July 1992
Boosters (6000 Series) - Castor 4A
No boosters	3, 4 or 9
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	478. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17 is a launch site at Merritt Island, Florida. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 2 ( SLC-2) is an active Rocket launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The Castor family of Solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters were built by Thiokol and used on a variety of Launch vehicles They were A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) 3 kN (107,530 lbf)
Specific impulse	266 sec
Burn time	56 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Boosters (7000 Series) - GEM 40
No boosters	3, 4 or 9
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	492. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) A Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM is a high-performance Solid rocket motor used for supplemental thrust on several Launch vehicles including the Boeing A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) 9 kN (110,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	274 sec
Burn time	64 seconds
Fuel	solid
Boosters (7000 Heavy) - GEM 46
No boosters	9
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	628. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) A Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM is a high-performance Solid rocket motor used for supplemental thrust on several Launch vehicles including the Boeing A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) 3 kN (141,250 lbf)
Specific impulse	278 sec
Burn time	75 seconds
Fuel	solid
First Stage - Thor/Delta XLT-C
Engines	1 RS-27A[1]
Thrust	1,054. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) The RS-27A is a medium-sized rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne for use on the Delta II and Delta III rockets It is fueled by a Kerosene / 2 kN (237,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	302 sec
Burn time	265 seconds
Fuel	Kerosene/LOX
Second Stage - Delta K
Engines	1 AJ-10
Thrust	43. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage is a Combustible Hydrocarbon liquid The AJ-10 is a Hypergolic Rocket engine. It has been used to propel the upper stages of several Carrier rockets including the Delta II and 6 kN (9,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	319 sec
Burn time	431 seconds
Fuel	Dinitrogen tetroxide/Aerozine
Third Stage - PAM-D (optional)
Engines	1 Star 48B
Thrust	66. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Nitrogen tetroxide ( dinitrogen tetroxide or nitrogen peroxide) is the Chemical compound N2O4 Aerozine 50 is a 50/50 mix of Hydrazine and Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH PAM ( Payload Assist Module) is a modular upper stage operated with solid propellant used with Space Shuttle, Delta, and Titan launchers 0 kN (14,837 lbf)
Specific impulse	286 sec
Burn time	87 seconds
Fuel	Solid

Delta II is a space launch system originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft The Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and has been in service since 1989. Delta is a family of Expendable launch systems that have provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960 Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Delta II includes the retired Delta 6000, the active Delta 7000, and two 7000 variants (light and heavy). The Delta II rocket was later built by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems until the Delta programs became the responsibility of United Launch Alliance on December 1, 2006. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[1]

History

All United States expendable launch vehicles were to be phased out for the Space Shuttle, but in 1986 the Challenger accident restarted Delta development. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place on January 28 1986 when ''Challenger'', a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart The Delta II, specifically, was designed to accommodate the GPS Block II series of satellites. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth Delta IIs have successfully launched 125 projects (through August 2007), including several NASA missions to Mars:

• Mars Global Surveyor in 1996
• Mars Pathfinder in 1996
• Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998
• Mars Polar Lander in 1999
• Mars Odyssey in 2001
• Mars Exploration Rovers (MER-A, Spirit and MER-B, Opportunity) in 2003
• Mars Phoenix lander in 2007

Vehicle description

Deltas are expendable launch vehicles (ELVs), which means they are used only once. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The Mars Global Surveyor ( MGS) was a US Spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor The Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter was one of two spacecraft in the Mars Surveyor '98 program, the other being the Mars Polar Lander Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The Mars Polar Lander was part of the NASA Mars Surveyor '98 program, which consisted of two spacecraft launched separately the Mars Climate Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 2001 Mars Odyssey is a Robotic spacecraft Orbiting the planet Mars. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. NASA 's Mars Exploration Rover ( MER) Mission is an ongoing robotic mission of exploring Mars, that began in 2003 with the sending of MER-A ( Mars Exploration Rover - A) known as Spirit, is the first of the two rovers of NASA 's Mars Exploration Rover MER-B ( Mars Exploration Rover - B) known as Opportunity, is the second of the two rovers of NASA 's Mars Exploration Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Phoenix is a Robotic spacecraft on a Space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. An expendable launch system is a Launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle (ELV to carry a payload into Space. Each launch vehicle consists of:

• Stage I: Kerosene and liquid oxygen tanks that feed the Rocketdyne RS-27 main engine for the ascent. Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage is a Combustible Hydrocarbon liquid The RS-27A is a medium-sized rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne for use on the Delta II and Delta III rockets It is fueled by a Kerosene /
• Solid rocket booster motors: Used to increase thrust during the initial two minutes of flight. Solid rocket boosters (SRB (or motors SRM are used to provide the main Thrust in spacecraft launches from the launchpad up to burnout of the SRBs The medium-capacity Delta II has nine motors total (six fire on the ground, three in flight); the other models use only three or four.
• Stage II: Fuel and oxidizer tanks feeding a restartable, hypergolic Aerojet AJ10-118K engine that fires one or more times to insert the vehicle-spacecraft stack into low Earth orbit. A hypergolic propellant is either of the two Rocket propellants used in a hypergolic Rocket engine, which spontaneously ignite when they come into contact Aerojet is a major Rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Sacramento California with divisions in Redmond WA; Orange VA A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km This stage also contains the vehicle's "brains", a combined inertial platform and guidance system that controls all flight events. An Inertial Navigation System (INS is a Navigation aid that uses a Computer and motion sensors to continuously track the position orientation and Velocity A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a Ship, Aircraft, Missile, Rocket, Satellite, or other
• Stage III: Optional ATK-Thiokol solid rocket motor (some Delta II vehicles are two-stage only, and generally used for Earth-orbit missions) provides the majority of the velocity change needed to leave Earth orbit and inject the spacecraft on a trajectory to Mars or other target beyond Earth orbit. It is connected to the spacecraft until it is done firing, and then separates. This stage is spin-stabilized and has no active guidance control; it depends on the second stage for proper orientation prior to Stage II/III separation. A spin-stabilized satellite is a Satellite which has the motion of one axis held (relatively fixed by spinning the satellite around that axis using the Gyroscopic It also includes a yo-yo de-spin mechanism to slow the spin before spacecraft release, as many spacecraft cannot handle the high spin rates needed for stability of this stage. A yo-yo de-spin mechanism is a device used to reduce the spin of satellite typically right after launch
• Payload fairing: Thin metal or composite payload fairing (aka "nose cone") to protect the spacecraft during the ascent through Earth's atmosphere.

Naming system

The Delta II family is more technically named by a four-digit system:^[2]

Comparison of standard vs. heavy Delta II

• The first digit is either 6 or 7, denoting the 6000- or 7000-series Deltas. The 6000-series, last flown in 1992, had an Extra Extended Long Tank first stage with RS-27 main engine, plus Castor IVA solid rocket boosters. The Castor family of Solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters were built by Thiokol and used on a variety of Launch vehicles They were The current model 7000-series have an RS-27A engine, with a longer nozzle for higher expansion ratio and better high-altitude performance, and GEM (Graphite-Epoxy Motor) boosters. The RS-27A is a medium-sized rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne for use on the Delta II and Delta III rockets It is fueled by a Kerosene / A Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM is a high-performance Solid rocket motor used for supplemental thrust on several Launch vehicles including the Boeing GEMs are larger, and have a composite casing to reduce mass versus the steel-case Castors. In addition, two LR101-NA-11 vernier engines provide guidance for the first stage.

• The second digit indicates the number of boosters, usually 9. In such cases, six are lit at liftoff and three are lit one minute into flight. On vehicles with 3 or 4 boosters, all are ignited at liftoff.

• The third digit is 2, denoting a second stage with an Aerojet AJ10 engine. This engine is restartable, for complex missions. Only Deltas prior to the 6000-series used a different engine, the TR-201.

• The last digit denotes the third stage. 0 denotes no third stage, 5 indicates a Payload Assist Module (PAM) stage with Star 48B solid motor, 6 indicates a Star 37FM motor. PAM ( Payload Assist Module) is a modular upper stage operated with solid propellant used with Space Shuttle, Delta, and Titan launchers

For example, a Delta 7925 has the later first stage, nine GEM boosters, and a PAM third stage. A Delta 7320 is a two-stage vehicle with three boosters.

• A Delta II-Heavy has the larger GEM-46 boosters, originally designed for the Delta III. The Delta III rocket was an expendable Launch vehicle made by Boeing. These are designated 79xxH.

Three payload fairings are available. The original aluminum fairing, seen above, is 9. 5 feet in diameter. A 10-foot fairing is made of composite, and can be distinguished by its tapering front and rear. A lengthened 10-foot fairing is used for the largest payloads.

Launch description

Launch vehicle build-up

A Delta II launch vehicle is assembled vertically on the launch pad. Assembly starts by hoisting the first stage into position. The solid rocket boosters are then hoisted into position and mated with the first stage. Launch vehicle build-up then continues with the second stage being hoisted atop the first stage. ^[3]

Fueling

It takes approximately 20 minutes to load the first stage with 10,000 US gallons (37,900 L) of fuel. ^[4]

Delta II launches

See also: List of Delta II launches

The Delta II system has been used for 135 launches. This page is a list of launches of the Delta II rocket For more information as a whole see Delta II. On September 18, 2007, Delta II completed its 75th consecutive successful launch. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[5] This is a record for modern launch vehicles. ^[6] It is the second most reliable launch vehicle currently in service, behind the Tsyklon 2. The Tsyklon-2, also known as Tsiklon-2 and Tsyklon-M, GRAU index 11K69 was a Soviet, and subsequently Ukrainian Orbital ^[7] Eight launches took place in 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

However, the Delta II system does not have a perfect success record. One mission, the launch of Koreasat-1, was a partial failure in which the satellite payload was able to compensate when the launch system placed the vehicle in an incorrect orbit. ^[8]

Another failure, this time complete, occurred on January 17, 1997, when a Delta II 7925 carrying the first GPS Block IIR satellite exploded only 13 seconds after liftoff, raining flaming debris all over Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth No one was injured, and the launchpad itself was not seriously damaged, though several cars were destroyed and a few buildings were damaged. ^[9]

Notable payloads

Between May 1997 and November 1998 Delta II vehicles placed 55 Iridium satellites into orbit. 2001 Mars Odyssey is a Robotic spacecraft Orbiting the planet Mars. The CO met N ucleus TOUR ( CONTOUR) was a NASA Discovery-class Space probe that failed shortly after launch Dawn, launched on September 27 2007 is a Robotic spacecraft being sent by NASA on a Space exploration mission to the two most massive members Deep Impact is an ongoing NASA Space probe launched on 12 January 2005 that was designed to study the composition of the interior of the Comet Deep Space 1 is a Spacecraft launched on 24 October 1998 as part of NASA 's New Millennium program. The Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter was one of two spacecraft in the Mars Surveyor '98 program, the other being the Mars Polar Lander NASA 's Mars Exploration Rover ( MER) Mission is an ongoing robotic mission of exploring Mars, that began in 2003 with the sending of The Mars Global Surveyor ( MGS) was a US Spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor Phoenix is a Robotic spacecraft on a Space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. The Mars Polar Lander was part of the NASA Mars Surveyor '98 program, which consisted of two spacecraft launched separately the Mars Climate The MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry and Ranging ( MESSENGER) probe is a NASA Spacecraft, launched August 3, 2004 The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker renamed after its launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene M The Global Geospace Science (GGS Polar Satellite was a NASA science Spacecraft launched at 062359 ROSAT (short for Rö ntgen' sat' ellit was a German X-ray satellite telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, SIRTF) is an Infrared Space observatory. STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory is a solar observation mission which was launched on 26 October 2006 at 0052 GMT. The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission consists of a Robotic spacecraft called Swift, which was launched into Orbit on November 20, 2004 For other uses see Themis (disambiguation. In Greek mythology, Hesiod mentions Themis (Θέμις among the six sons and six daughters of Gaia USA 193, also known as NRO launch 21 ( NROL-21 or simply L-21) was an American military Spy satellite launched on December 14 2006 Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) The Iridium Satellite constellation is a system of 66 active communication Satellites with spares in orbit and on the ground ^[10]

Retirement of system

An article published by the Wall Street Journal speculates about the fate of the Delta II launch system after U. S. Air Force discontinues its use of the Delta II. ^[11] Thomas Young, who was director of Goddard Space Flight Center from 1980 to 1982, is quoted as saying, "It's definitely an item people are quite worried about. The Goddard Space Flight Center ( GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight "

The final payload of the Delta II is scheduled to be a NASA moon mission in 2011. 2011 ( MMXI) will be a Common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[12]

Future applications

The Aerojet-built second-stage engine has been chosen by NASA to be used as the main propulsion engine for the Orion spacecraft that will replace the Space Shuttle after 2010. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Orion is a Spacecraft design currently under development by the United States space agency NASA. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States The engine was chosen due to its restart capabilities along with a switch from the original liquid oxygen/liquid methane (LOX/LCH₄) application to hypergolic fuel and oxidizer similar to that in use on the Shuttle's OMS and RCS systems.

References

External links

• The Wikimedia Commons has media related to Delta (Rocket).

• Boeing Delta II Page
• Delta I, II und III Site from Gunter Krebs
• History of the Delta Launch Vehicle
• Article about 1997 failed launch and self-destruction (with video)

Delta rocket evolution (U. S. Govt. )