Experiences In Delta Mission Planning

In 1959 NASA decided to develop Delta as an interim launch vehicle for medium payloads until more sophisticated vehicles reached operational status. In the twenty years that have followed, Delta has matured into a versatile all-purpose launch vehicle, being utilized by various US government agencies, domestic industry, and a number of foreign governments, as well. Delta\u27s 153 launches have included low circular orbits, sun-synchronous, earth-synchronous, polar, lunar, and interplanetary missions. Delta\u27s \u27firsts\u27 include the first international satellite, the first synchronous transfer orbit, the first polar launch from ETR, and the first lunar orbiter without a midcourse velocity correction. Typical Delta mission analysis methods and results are reviewed: feasibility studies, trajectory shaping, payload, orbit and launch window optimizations, range safety studies, orbit injection error analyses, radar tracking coverage, and vehicle separation dynamics. A number of more picturesque cases of the above missions analyses are highlighted among the past 153 missions, as well as among the approximately 40 future missions presently scheduled for the Delta launch vehicle