Delta II
Sign in to saveAlso known as Delta 6000, Delta 7000
retired expendable launch system in the Delta rocket family
Key facts
- Function
- Launch vehicle
- Manufacturer
- McDonnell Douglas , (1989–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security (1997–2006) United Launch Alliance (2006–2018)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Cost per launch
- US$51 million in 1987 US$137 million in 2018
- Height
- 38.9 m (128 ft)
- Diameter
- 2.44 m (8 ft)
- Mass
- 152,000–286,100 kg (335,100–630,700 lb)
- Orbital inclination
- 28.7°
- Status
- Retired
- Launch sites
- Cape Canaveral , SLC-17 Vandenberg , SLC-2W
- Total launches
- 155: Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 132 Delta 7000 Heavy: 6
- Success es
- 153: Delta 6000: 17 Delta 7000: 130 Delta 7000 Heavy: 6
- Failure
- 1 (Delta 7000)
- Partial failure
- 1 (Delta 7000)
- First flight
- Delta 6000: 14 February 1989 ( USA-35 ) Delta 7000: 26 November 1990 ( USA-66 ) Delta 7000 Heavy: 7 July 2003 ( Opportunity rover )
- Last flight
- Delta 6000: 24 July 1992 ( Geotail ) Delta 7000: 15 September 2018 ( ICESat-2 ) Delta 7000 Heavy: 10 September 2011 ( GRAIL )
- Empty mass
- 1,457 kg (3,212 lb)
- Gross mass
- 11,578 kg (25,525 lb)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Delta II Dawn liftoff 1.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- first flight
- 1989-02-14
- Commons category
- Delta II
- Commons gallery
- Delta (rocket)
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~19 min read
Article
Delta II was an expendable launch system designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived from the Delta 3000, and entered service in 1989. There were two main variants, the Delta 6000 and Delta 7000, with the latter also having "Light" and "Heavy" subvariants. During its career, Delta II flew several payloads, including 24 Global Positioning System (GPS) Block II satellites, several dozen NASA payloads, and 60 Iridium communication satellites. The rocket flew its final mission, ICESat-2, on 15 September 2018, earning a streak of 100 consecutive successful missions, with the last failure being GPS IIR-1 in 1997. In the late 1990s, Delta II was developed into the unsuccessful Delta III, which was in turn developed into the more capable and successful Delta IV, though the latter shares little heritage with the original Thor and Delta rockets.
History