DELTA II 6000 SERIES FACT SHEET

By Cliff Lethbridge

Delta II 6000 Series On Launch Pad, Photo Courtesy U.S. Air Force

Classification: Space Launch Vehicle

Length: 128 feet

Diameter: 8 feet

Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: February 14, 1989

Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: July 24, 1992

Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 16

Based largely on the Delta 4000 Series rockets already in use, the Delta II 6000 Series improved performance over previous Delta rockets by incorporating nine improved Castor solid rocket boosters. Six of the solid rocket boosters were ignited at liftoff, with the remaining three ignited following burnout and jettison of the first six. The basic nine-booster Delta II flight profile has not changed since. The two-stage Delta II 6000 Series rocket, designated Delta II 6920, could carry an 8,780-pound payload to low-Earth orbit. The three-stage version, designated Delta II 6925, could carry a 3,190-pound payload to geostationary transfer orbit.