Delta III was an expendable launch vehicle made by Boeing. The first Delta III launch was on August 26, 1998.[1] Of its three flights, the first two were failures, and the third, though declared successful, reached the low end of its targeted orbit range and carried only a dummy (inert) payload. The Delta III could deliver up to 8,400 pounds (3,800 kilograms) to geostationary transfer orbit, twice the payload of its predecessor, the Delta II.[2] Under the four-digit designation system from earlier Delta rockets, the Delta III is classified as the Delta 8930.
| Flight Number | Date / time (UTC) | Rocket Configuration | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 27, 1998 01:17 | Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | Galaxy 10 | GTO | PanAmSat / Intelsat | ||
| Maiden flight of Delta III. Destroyed by range safety after control problems and depletion of hydraulic fluid. Communications satellite. | ||||||||
| 2 | May 5, 1999 01:00 | Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | Orion 3 | GTO | Loral | [3] | |
| Second stage engine failure. Payload placed in low Earth orbit, declared too low and Loral called satellite lost. Communications satellite. | ||||||||
| 3 | August 23, 2000 11:05 | Delta III 8930 | CCAFS SLC-17B | DM-F3 | GTO | US Air Force | [4] | |
| Reached lower than planned orbit. Final flight of Delta III. Payload was a DemoSat. | ||||||||