The Delta Launch Vehicle- Past, Present, and Future

The Delta launch vehicle is a medium class expendable booster managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and used by the U.S. Government, private industry and foreign countries to launch scientific, meteorological, applications and communications satellites. It has been operational since 1960 and currently has launches scheduled through the 1985 time period. This paper presents a summary of Delta history, its current vehicle configuration, the various modifications underway to satisfy ever- increasing payload performance demands and a look into additional uprating possibilities to meet potential future requirements.