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.
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Launch of IUE on a Delta 2914 J-8
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Function | Expendable launch system |
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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 | Cape Canaveral, LC-17 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 Castor 2 |
Maximum thrust | 258.915 kilonewtons (58,206 lbf) |
Burn time | 37 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
First stage | |
Powered by | 1 x Delta-Thor RS-27 |
Maximum thrust | 1,030.218 kilonewtons (231,602 lbf) |
Burn time | 223 seconds |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Second stage | |
Powered by | 1 x Delta P |
Maximum thrust | 41.923 kilonewtons (9,425 lbf) |
Burn time | 322 seconds |
Propellant | N2O4/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 first stage was an Extended Long Tank Thor, re-engined with the Rocketdyne RS-27 replacing the earlier MB-3-III engine. The RS-27 engine was a rebranded H-1 engine used in the Saturn 1B with minor changes. Three or nine Castor-2 solid rocket boosters were attached to increase thrust at lift-off. The Delta-P second stage used the TRW TR-201 engine. The TR-201 engine was a Lunar Module Descent Engine reconfigured for fixed thrust output. Launches which required a three-stage configuration in order to reach higher orbits used the Thiokol Star-37DorStar-37E upper stage as an apogee kick motor.
Delta 2000 launches occurred from Space Launch Complex 2WatVandenberg AFB and both pads of Launch Complex 17atCape 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.
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