Delta II & III Space Operations at Cape Canaveral 1989-2009, Origins, Military Missions, Civil Missions, Commercial Missions

This study addresses DELTA II and DELTA III space operations at Cape Canaveral, Florida, from the DELTA II's first launch in 1989 through the DELTA II's most recent launch in late March 2009. The 45th Space Wing has been - and continues to be - responsible for ensuring public safety for all space-related operations on the Eastern Range. The Wing's 45th Launch Group and its 5th Space Launch Squadron (5 SLS) continue to provide government oversight for DELTA IV and ATLAS V space launch operations at the Cape. Those units are ably supported by the Launch Group's 45th Launch Support Squadron (45 LCSS) as well as the 45th Operations Group's 45th Operations Support Squadron (45 OSS) and 1st Range Operations Squadron (1 ROPS), not to mention a whole host of other agencies with Range-related missions. Nevertheless, the inactivation of the 1st Space Launch Squadron (1 SLS) and the transfer of DELTA II facilities to NASA in late 2009 mark the end of an Air Force effort dating back to the first THOR missile launch in late January 1957.

The study provides the reader with a basic summary of DELTA II- and DELTA III-related programs, changes in organization, and improvements in Complex 17's launch facilities. It also presents military, civil service and contractor roles in what is decidedly a 'team' effort. The lion's share of the material relates to various launch campaigns and individual flights. The DELTA III flights are grouped all together in Chapter IV, but the DELTA II missions are placed in three separate categories based on their customers: 1) military, 2) civilian agency, and 3) commercial satellite service providers. All DELTA customers rely on commercial launch contractors to put their respective payloads into orbit. The type of agency sponsoring a payload (the U.S. Air Force, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, NATO, NASA or a commercial satellite service company) determines where its mission summary is placed.

CHAPTER I - ORIGINS * Complex 17 and the Old DELTA Program * The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System and the DELTA II Launch Debut * DELTA II Operations Overview * Military Oversight * Officer, Enlisted and Civilian Figures for 1 SLS and Related Units * CHAPTER II - MILITARY MISSIONS * Early NAVSTAR II GPS Missions * Completing the Initial NAVSTAR II Constellation * The NAVSTAR GPS IIR-1 Mission, 17 January 1997 * Later NAVSTAR GPS IIR Missions * U.S. Military Technology Missions * Foreign Military Missions * CHAPTER III - CIVIL MISSIONS * X-Ray, Gamma Ray, Infrared, Microwave Anisotropy, and Extreme Ultraviolet Astronomy Missions * Solar Wind Missions * Asteroid Probes and Comet Encounters * Missions to Mars and Mercury * Kepler Spacecraft 'Planetary Search' Mission * CHAPTER IV - COMMERCIAL MISSIONS * PALAPA B2R and PALAPA B4 * Britain's BSB-R2 and Telenor's THOR II and THOR III * ASC-2, AURORA II and SATCOM 4 * INMARSAT-2 F-1 and INMARSAT-2 F-2 * DFS KOPERNIKUS 3 * GALAXY I-R and GALAXY IX * KOREASAT-1 and KOREASAT-2 * BONUM-1 * GLOBALSTAR-1 through GLOBALSTAR-7 * DELTA III Missions * CHAPTER V - 1 SLS INACTIVATION & TRANSFER OF DELTA II FACILITIES * APPENDIX A - Lists of Commanders * APPENDIX B - Year-End Strength Figures for the 1 SLS and Related Units * APPENDIX C - DELTA II and DELTA III Launch Synopsis