Delta III was an expendable launch vehicle made by Boeing. The first Delta III launch was on August 26, 1998.[1] Of its three flights, the first two were failures, and the third, though declared successful, reached the low end of its targeted orbit range and carried only a dummy (inert) payload. The Delta III could deliver up to 8,400 pounds (3,800 kilograms) to geostationary transfer orbit, twice the payload of its predecessor, the Delta II.[2] Under the four-digit designation system from earlier Delta rockets, the Delta III is classified as the Delta 8930.
Launch outcome statistics
editLaunch history
edit| Flight Number | Date / time (UTC) | Rocket Configuration |
Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 27, 1998 01:17 |
Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | Galaxy 10 | 700 kg (1,500 lb) | GTO | PanAmSat / Intelsat | Failure |
| Maiden flight of Delta III. Destroyed by range safety after control problems and depletion of hydraulic fluid. Communications satellite. | ||||||||
| 2 | May 5, 1999 01:00 |
Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | Orion 3 | 4,300 kg (9,500 lb) | GTO | Loral | Failure[3] |
| Second stage engine failure. Payload placed in low Earth orbit, declared too low and Loral called satellite lost. Communications satellite. | ||||||||
| 3 | August 23, 2000 11:05 |
Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | DM-F3 | 4,383 kg (9,663 lb) | GTO | US Air Force | Partial failure[4] |
| Reached lower than planned orbit. Final flight of Delta III. Payload was a DemoSat. | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Delta III Takes a Dip". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- ^ "Delta III Launch Vehicle". 2001. Archived from the original on November 14, 2001.
- ^ "Orion 3 at 139° East (Launch failure)". Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Delta 3 rocket falls short but still a success, Boeing says". Spaceflight Now. August 24, 2000.