As is standard fare for a United Launch Alliance flight we have here the ICESat-2 mission profile video. What isn’t standard fare is that this is a Delta II launch. Not just any Delta II launch, but the final flight of the Delta II booster.
Yes. That’s it. This will mark flight 155, and the final flight of the last true heritage booster in the United States launch fleet. After 29 years, it’s over for Delta II. Needless to say, this is another bittersweet launch, especially for me, as the time I grew to first take interest in space, the late 80’s was the same time this beast went into active service. That, of course, is another article to come.
The previous Delta-II launch.
We’re here to look at a flight plan, and this is another by the books mission for Delta II. It’s also a Vandenberg launch, which means a polar orbit for the payload, ICESat-2. Along for the ride are a few cubesats, which will be the final payloads deployed by a Delta II before the upper stage conducts a burn to slow it down, allowing it to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, bringing a firey end to the Delta II launch legacy (ignoring the many upper stages left in orbit from earlier launches, of course…)
Naturally, I’d rather let the video speak for itself. If you can wake up early enough tomorrow morning to see it, it will be worth checking out. Of course I’ve got an article planned for this launch, so be sure to check that out once its published!
Enjoy.