DELTA M-6 FACT SHEET

By Cliff Lethbridge

Delta M-6 Launch, Photo Courtesy NASA

Classification: Space Launch Vehicle

Length: 106 feet, 4 inches

Diameter: 8 feet

Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: March 13, 1971

Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: March 13, 1971

Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 1

Nearly identical to the Delta M, the Delta M-6 added three Castor solid rocket boosters, for a total of six. Three solid rocket boosters were ignited at liftoff, while three were ignited 31 seconds later to lengthen the overall period that the boosters contributed to the vehicle’s overall thrust. The additional three solid rocket boosters allowed the Delta M-6 to carry a 2,900-pound payload to low-Earth orbit or a 1,000-pound payload to geostationary transfer orbit. This represented a nearly five-fold increase in the Delta launch vehicle’s payload capability during its first decade of operation. An optional two-stage version of the Delta M-6 was introduced as the Delta N-6, but the Delta N-6 was never launched from Cape Canaveral.