DELTA II - Vehicle use: Satellite
American orbital launch vehicle. It was originally designed and manufactured by McDonald Douglas and was later manufactured by Boeing/United Launch Alliance. The Delta II is comprised of nine strap-on boosters, of which six are ignited at launch, and three are ignited in flight after the burnout of the first six. A single-engine first stage uses liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1), and a single-engine second stage uses hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.
Variant
All
Launches
155
Failures
2
Realized
0.99
Predicted
0.98
50
51
53
52
55
56
54
57
58
59
60
61
62
64
63
65
67
66
69
68
71
72
70
73
74
75
76
79
77
78
81
80
83
82
85
84
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
95
94
96
97
99
98
01
00
02
03
04
05
06
07
09
08
11
10
13
12
15
14
17
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
8/5/1995 - Delta II
1 OF 3 SOLID MOTORS FAILED TO JETTISON
42nd Delta II Launch
One of the three air-started solid motors failed to jettison, resulting in the 1,464 kg Koreasat 1 being deposited in an orbit about 5,000 km short of its planned geosynchronous transfer orbit apogee. The satellite had to use six years' worth of on-orbit propellant to make up the 325 meter-per-second delta-V deficiency, shortening Koreasat 1's life to about 4.5 years.
SOURCES:
1/17/1997 - Delta II
STRAP-ON MOTOR STRUCTURAL FAILURE
55th Delta II Launch
At T+12 seconds the No.2 graphite-epoxy strap-on motor suffered a structural failure of its composite case (not a motor burn-through), resulting in a long vertical crack along the side of the motor. The vehicle self-destructed.
SOURCES:
VIDEO:
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.89
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.67
1.00
0.89
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.83
1.00
0.88
1.00
0.89
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.75
1.00
0.86
1.00
0.91
1.00
0.67
1.00
0.92
1.00
0.86
1.00
0.88
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.91
1.00
0.89
1.00
0.93
1.00
0.88
Realized Rate
Predicted Rate