Launch Vehicles

Delta

United States

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Delta." Accessed September 1, 2026. https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/delta-rocket.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Delta. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/delta-rocket

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-delta,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Delta},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/delta-rocket},
  note = {Accessed September 1, 2026}
}

The original member of America's longest-running launch vehicle family, developed from the Thor ballistic missile for NASA to launch communications and scientific satellites beginning in 1960. Its name and lineage continued through dozens of upgraded variants across more than six decades.

Facts

Vehicle Class

Medium-lift expendable launch vehicle 1

Manufacturer

Douglas Aircraft Company 1

First Flight Date

1960-05-13 2

Status

Retired in its original configuration; superseded by successive Delta variants (Thor-Delta, Delta 2000, Delta II and beyond). 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Operated By

NASA

Source NASA History Office

Sources

1. Encyclopedia Astronautica

2. NASA History Office

National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationView the Source

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