Delta 2000
Appearance
![]() Launch of IUE on a Delta 2914 J-8 | |
Function | Expendable launch system |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 35 m (114 ft) |
Diameter | 2.44 m (8 ft) |
Mass | 130,392 kg (287,465 lb) |
Payload to GTO (Geostationary transfer orbit) | |
Mass | 724 kg |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Vandenberg, SLC-2W |
Total launches | 44 |
Success(es) | 43 |
Failure(s) | 1 |
First flight | 19 January 1974 |
Last flight | 6 October 1981 |
Booster stage | |
Powered by | 9 x Aerozine-50 |
Third stage | |
Powered by | 1 x Burner II |
Maximum thrust | 43.551 kilonewtons (9,791 lbf) |
Burn time | 42 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
The Delta 2000 series was an American expendable launch system which was used to conduct forty-four orbital launches between 1974 and 1981. It was a member of the Delta family of rockets, sometimes called Thorad Delta. Several variants existed, which were differentiated by a four digit numerical code. The Delta 1000, 2000 and 3000 series used surplus NASA Apollo program rockets engines for its first and second stages.
The first stage was an
Star-37E
upper stage as an apogee kick motor.
Delta 2000 launches occurred from
Cape Canaveral. Forty-three out of forty-four launches were successful. The single failure being the maiden flight, 19 January 1974, which placed Skynet 2A into a useless orbit. A short circuit in an electronics package circuit board (on second stage) left the upper stages and satellite in an unstable low orbit (96 x 3,406 km x 37.6°) that rapidly decayed. An investigation revealed that a substandard coating had been used on the circuit board.[1]
The cost of each launch was estimated on average at $28.52 million, depending on the combination of carrier rocket.
References
- ^ Kyle, Ed (9 April 2010). "Delta 2000 series - Extended Long Tank Delta". Space Launch Report. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- Wade, Mark. "Delta". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- Krebs, Gunter. "Thor family". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-02-15.