Delta II

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N2O4 . These propellants are highly toxic and corrosive, and once loaded the launch had to occur within approximately 37 days or the stage would have to be refurbished or replaced. [29] This stage also contained a combined inertial platform and guidance system that controlled all flight events. [3]

The Delta-K consisted of stainless steel tanks and a lightweight aluminum structure. The tanks were pressurized with helium gas, and the stage featured nitrogen thrusters for roll control during burns and for complete attitude control during coasts. The stage had a mass of 950 kg (2,090 lb) when empty, and 6,954 kg (15,331 lb) when fully fueled. [4]

Third stage

For low Earth orbit missions, Delta II was not equipped with a third stage. Payloads bound for higher energy orbits such as GTO or to reach Earth escape velocity for trans-Mars injection or other destinations beyond Earth used an HTPB solid propellant third stage, situated inside the fairing during launch. This stage was spin-stabilized and depended on the second stage for proper orientation prior to stage separation, but was sometimes equipped with a hydrazine nutation control system to maintain proper spin axis. [27] The third stage would be spun up using small rocket motors and then released by the second stage to perform its burn. The third stage also included a yo-weight system to induce tumbling in the stage after payload separation to prevent recontact, or a yo-yo de-spin mechanism to slow the rotation before payload release. [27] The stage would also contain an S-band transmitter, batteries, and a sequencer to command the stage events.

Two third-stage options were available, both consisting of a single solid rocket motor. The most common by far was the Star 48, flying on over 70 missions. The Star 48, also referred to as the Payload Assist Module-Delta (PAM-D), was the more powerful of the two options, producing an average thrust of 66.4 kN (14,900 lbf) during its 87.1-second burn. The stage would end up flying primarily on the more powerful Delta variants and never flew on a three-booster configuration.

The other third-stage option was the Star 37FM. This stage flew four times, and only on three- and four-booster configurations of Delta. The Star 37FM produced 45.8 kN (10,300 lbf) of thrust during its 66.4-second burn. [4]

Naming system

The Delta II family used a four-digit system to generate its technical names: [30]

For example, a Delta 7925H-10L used an RS-27A, nine GEM 46 boosters, a PAM third stage, and a lengthened 10 ft (3.0 m) diameter fairing. A Delta 6320–9.5 is a two-stage vehicle with an RS-27 first-stage engine, three Castor 4A boosters, a 9.5 ft (2.9 m) diameter fairing, and no third stage.

Launch profile

Launch vehicle build-up
A Delta II launch vehicle was assembled vertically on the launch pad. Assembly started by hoisting the first stage into position. The solid rocket boosters were then hoisted into position and mated with the first stage. Launch vehicle build-up then continued with the second stage being hoisted atop the first stage. [32]
Fueling
It took approximately 20 minutes to load the first stage with 37,900 L (10,000 U.S. gal) of fuel. [33]
At T-45 minutes, fueling completion was confirmed. At T-20 minutes, the FTS pyros were armed. At T-20 minutes and T-4 minutes, two built-in holds occurred. During these holds, final launch checkouts were performed. At T-11 seconds SRB igniters were armed. Ignition of the main engine was at T-0.4 seconds. The ascent profile varies between missions.
SRB staging
If 9 solid rocket boosters were used, only six were ignited at launch. After about a minute, once the first six were depleted, three air-start motors would ignite for another minute and the ground-start motors would separate. [34] The air-start motors had nozzles optimized for high-altitude as they operated mostly in a near-vacuum during the flight.
If only 3 or 4 boosters were used, all were ignited on the ground and jettisoned at the same time.

Delta II launches

Delta II lifting off with MER-A on 10 June 2003 Lancement Spirit fusee Delta IIs 10062003.jpg
Delta II lifting off with MER-A on 10 June 2003
Delta II Heavy (7925H-9.5) lifting off from pad 17-B carrying MER-B Mer-b-final-launch.jpg
Delta II Heavy (7925H-9.5) lifting off from pad 17-B carrying MER-B

Notable payloads

Earth-orbiting

Extra-planetary

The last Delta II launch was the ICESat-2 satellite in September 2018. [31] [35] [36]

In 2008, ULA indicated that it had "around half a dozen" unsold Delta II rockets on hand, [37] but ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated in October 2017 that there are no complete, unbooked Delta II rockets left in the ULA inventory; and though there are leftover Delta II parts, there are not enough to build another launch vehicle. [38] The final Delta II rocket, made of these leftover parts alongside some simulated parts, is located at the Kennedy Space Center rocket garden. [39]

Comparable rockets

Space debris

The only person on record ever hit by space debris was hit by a piece of a Delta II rocket. Lottie Williams was exercising in a park in Tulsa on 22 January 1997 when she was hit in the shoulder by a 15-centimeter (6 in) piece of blackened metallic material. U.S. Space Command confirmed that a used Delta II rocket from the April 1996 launch of the Midcourse Space Experiment had crashed into the atmosphere 30 minutes earlier. The object tapped her on the shoulder and fell off harmlessly onto the ground. Williams collected the item and NASA tests later showed that the fragment was consistent with the materials of the rocket, and Nicholas Johnson, the agency's chief scientist for orbital debris, believes that she was indeed hit by a piece of the rocket. [40] [41]

Delta rockets have been involved in multiple fragmentation events as they were routinely left in orbit with enough fuel to explode. A large amount of current "space junk" is Delta rocket debris. [42]

See also

Notes

  1. (7920-10 model)

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Delta II
Delta II logo.svg
Delta II Dawn liftoff 1.jpg
A Delta II rocket launches from Cape Canaveral carrying the Dawn spacecraft.
Function Launch vehicle
Manufacturer
Country of origin United States
Cost per launch
  • US$51 million in 1987 [a] [1]
  • US$137 million in 2018 [2]
Size
Height38.9 m (128 ft) [3]
Diameter2.44 m (8 ft)
Mass152,000–286,100 kg (335,100–630,700 lb) [3] [4]
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination28.7°
Mass2,776–6,107 kg (6,120–13,464 lb) [4]