News Archive / Tagged: Delta II

• Final Delta II added to Kennedy Space Center’s rocket garden

  Cullen DesforgesMarch 31st, 2021

  The newly-stacked United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket stands proud at its final home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

• SpaceX not alone in 2018’s high launch rate

  Patrick AttwellJanuary 7th, 2019

  United Launch Alliance (ULA), Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and Virgin Galactic conducted 14 launches from the United States this past year.

• Gallery: ICESat-2 closes Delta II era with another success

  Matthew KuhnsSeptember 15th, 2018

  The last flight of a ULA Delta II rocket was carried out on Saturday, Sept. 15 from Vandenberg Air Force base in California. As was the case so many times in the past - its final mission was a success.

• Going out in style: Delta II completes its final mission with launch of ICESat-2

  Jim SharkeySeptember 15th, 2018

  NASA's ICESat-2 thundered into orbit atop a ULA Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, ending the 30-year career of the venerable booster.

• As ICESat-2 set to open new era of Earth observation, era of Delta II poised to close

  Jim SharkeySeptember 13th, 2018

  While the new ICESat-2 mission will help us gain a better understanding of the dynamics of our home world - it will also mark the end of the Delta II rocket's long history.

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: ICE—The first comet flyby

  Andrew LepageSeptember 12th, 2018

  While NASA has become known for successful spacecraft that extend well past their warranty, the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) showed that a well-designed spacecraft can serve many purposes long after its primary mission ends.

• SpaceX, ULA reschedule next launches

  Derek RichardsonNovember 16th, 2017

  Both SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have rescheduled their next launches from the East and West Coasts, respectively. SpaceX, which will be sending the mystery “Zuma” payload into space atop a Falcon 9 rocket, opted to postpone by at least a day to examine data from a recent payload fairing test. ULA, on the other hand, is hoping to fly its Delta II after two scrubbed attempts.

• Launch of JPSS-1 scrubbed again, high upper-level winds to blame

  Jason RhianNovember 15th, 2017

  The flight of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket with its payload of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS-1) spacecraft has been delayed for a second time. However, whereas yesterday's (Nov. 14) scrub was caused by wayward boaters, issues with the atmosphere were to blame for today's delay.

• NOAA’s JPSS-1 satellite launch delayed to July

  Derek RichardsonJanuary 5th, 2017

  The flight of the first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) has been postponed to a date no earlier than July 2017. According to SpaceNews, the delay was because of technical issues.

• NASA’s SMAP spacecraft begins science operations

  Collin SkocikMay 21st, 2015

  On Jan. 31, 2015, NASA launched the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP ) mission from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on a United Launch Alliance (ULA )Delta II rocket. For the next three years, the solar-powered SMAP satellite will study moisture in the soil and detect whether that moisture is […]

• Launch of SMAP slips to NET Jan. 31

  Jason RhianJanuary 29th, 2015

  Citing repairs that are needed to the Delta II 7320 launch vehicle, United Launch Alliance (ULA ) has opted to delay the launch an additional 24 hours. The launch window will now open no earlier than (NET) 6:20 a.m. PST (9:20 a.m. EST) on Jan. 31, 2015. The launch site is Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space […]

• 24 hour scrub for NASA’s SMAP mission due to high upper level winds

  Jason RhianJanuary 29th, 2015

  NASA and Colorado-based United Launch Alliance (ULA ) will have to wait at least 24 hours before they are able to launch NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP ) mission. High upper level winds at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) forced the launch team to push their attempts back from the 6:20 a.m. […]

• Oh SMAP: NASA plans to get the dirt on soil moisture with new satellite

  SpaceFlight InsiderJanuary 13th, 2015

  As part of NASA’s Earth Sciences campaign, a new Earth-observing satellite is prepping to launch before dawn on Jan. 29 from California’s Vandenberg Air Force base. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission plans to dig into the topmost layer of our planet’s soil in order to accurately measure the hidden water within and determine how […]

• Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Mars Global Surveyor’s nine-year journey of discovery begins

  Jason RhianNovember 7th, 2014

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — Lifting of from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 17 (SLC-17) on Nov. 7, 1996, atop its Delta II 7925 launch vehicle – the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft would rewrite humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet during its nine year stint above the surface of the flash-frozen world.

• OCO-2 satellite successfully launched to ‘A-Train’ orbit

  Rae Botsford EndJuly 2nd, 2014

  NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2 ) successfully made it to orbit this morning, July 2, to get a better picture of global carbon dioxide amounts. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket carrying the satellite launched right at the beginning of a 30-second launch window at 2:56:23 a.m. PDT (5:56 a.m. EDT, 0956 GMT), from […]