The Delta launch vehicle family started development in 1959. The Delta was composed of parts from the Thor, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, as its first stage, and the Vanguard as its second. The first Delta was launched from Cape Canaveral on May13, 1960 and was powerful enough to deliver a 100-poundspacecraft into geostationary transfer orbit. Delta has been used to launch civil, commercial, and military satellites into orbit. Kevin Forsyth remarks that "Delta is one of the most enduring members of the original family of US space launch vehicles and has long been known as 'the workhorse of space. '"For more information about Delta, please see Chapter 3 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002.
NASA
1984-03-01
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