Launch vehicles - Weapons - Brief Article - Evaluation

Airman, Jan, 2002

Delta II

Primary function: Space-lift vehicle.

Payload: Navstar Global Positioning System, NASA's Mars probes and commercial satellites.

Dimensions: Length 125 ft. 9 in., diameter 8 ft.

Titan IVB

Dimensions: Inertial upper stage length 17 ft., diameter flares from 90 to 114 in. First stage length 86.5 ft., diameter 10 ft. Second stage length 32.7 ft., diameter 10 ft.

Payload: Capable of placing up to 47,800-lb. payloads into low-earth orbit; up to 12,700-lb. payloads into geosynchronous orbit when launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla; and up to 38,000 lbs. into a low-earth polar orbit when launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Using an inertial upper stage, the vehicle can transport up to 5,250 lbs. into geosynchronous orbit.

Primary function: Space-lift vehicle.

Others:

Atlas II

Titan II

Pegasus