DELTA A FACT SHEET

By Cliff Lethbridge

Delta A Launch, Photo Courtesy NASA

Classification: Space Launch Vehicle

Length: 90 feet

Diameter: 8 feet

Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: October 2, 1962

Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: October 27, 1962

Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 2

Nearly identical to the original Delta, the Delta A carried an upgraded Rocketdyne first stage engine capable of increasing the first stage thrust to 172,500 pounds. This allowed the Delta A to carry a 700-pound payload to low-Earth orbit. The vehicle was also designed to carry a 150-pound payload to geostationary transfer orbit, although it was never used for that purpose.