Delta 5000

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title: "Delta 5000" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["delta-(rocket-family)"] description: "Series of American expendable launch systems" topic_path: "general/delta-rocket-family" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_5000" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Series of American expendable launch systems ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Rocket"]

Field	Value
name	Delta 5000 series
image	COBELaunch.jpg
caption	Launch of the Delta 5920 with COBE
function	Expendable launch system
country-origin	United States
cpl	in 1985
alt-cpl	in 2018
height	34 m
diameter	2.44 m
mass	201,580 kg
stages	2
sites	Vandenberg SLC-2W
launches	1
success	1
status	Retired
only	18 November 1989
location	LEO
kilos	3848 kg
location	GTO
kilos	1405 kg
family	Delta
comparable	Delta 4000, Delta II
stagedata
type	booster
diff
stageno
name	Castor 4A
number	9
length	9.12 m
diameter	1.02 m
width
empty	1,529 kg
gross	11,743 kg
propmass
engines	Solid
solid	yes
thrust	478.3 kN
total
SI	{{plainlist
burntime	56 s
propellant	Aluminum fuel, ammonium perchlorate oxidizer in an HTPB binder
type	stage
diff
stageno	First
name	Thor/Delta ELT
number
length	22.37 m
diameter	2.44 m
width
empty	4,360 kg
gross	84,368 kg
propmass
engines	1 RS-27
solid
thrust	1030.2 kN
total
SI	{{plainlist
burntime	223 s
fuel	LOX / RP-1
type	stage
diff
stageno	Second
name	Delta K
number
length	5.89 m
diameter	2.44 m
width
empty	950 kg
gross	6,954 kg
propmass
engines	1 AJ10-118K
solid
thrust	43.6 kN
total
SI	319 s
burntime	431 s
fuel	/ Aerozine 50
::

|name = Delta 5000 series |image = COBELaunch.jpg |caption = Launch of the Delta 5920 with COBE |function = Expendable launch system |country-origin = United States |cpl = in 1985 |alt-cpl = in 2018 |height = 34 m |diameter = 2.44 m |mass = 201,580 kg |stages = 2 |sites = Vandenberg SLC-2W |launches = 1 |success = 1 |status = Retired |only = 18 November 1989 |capacities = |location = LEO |kilos = 3848 kg |location = GTO |kilos = 1405 kg |family = Delta |comparable = Delta 4000, Delta II |stagedata =
|type = booster |diff =
|stageno =
|name = Castor 4A |number = 9 |length = 9.12 m |diameter = 1.02 m |width =
|empty = 1,529 kg |gross = 11,743 kg |propmass =
|engines = Solid |solid = yes |thrust = 478.3 kN |total =
|SI = {{plainlist|

• Sea level: 237 seconds
• Vacuum: 266 seconds |burntime = 56 s |propellant = Aluminum fuel, ammonium perchlorate oxidizer in an HTPB binder |type = stage |diff =
  |stageno = First |name = Thor/Delta ELT |number =
  |length = 22.37 m |diameter = 2.44 m |width =
  |empty = 4,360 kg |gross = 84,368 kg |propmass =
  |engines = 1 RS-27 |solid =
  |thrust = 1030.2 kN |total =
  |SI = {{plainlist|
• Sea level: 262 seconds
• Vacuum: 296 seconds |burntime = 223 s |fuel = LOX / RP-1 |type = stage |diff =
  |stageno = Second |name = Delta K |number =
  |length = 5.89 m |diameter = 2.44 m |width =
  |empty = 950 kg |gross = 6,954 kg |propmass =
  |engines = 1 AJ10-118K |solid =
  |thrust = 43.6 kN |total =
  |SI = 319 s |burntime = 431 s |fuel = / Aerozine 50

The Delta 5000 series was an American expendable launch system which was used to conduct an orbital launch in 1989. It was a member of the Delta family of rockets. Although several variants were put forward, only the Delta 5920 was launched. The designation used a four digit numerical code to store information on the configuration of the rocket. It was built from a combination of spare parts left over from earlier Delta rockets, which were being retired, and parts from the Delta II 6000-series, which was just entering service.

The first stage was the RS-27 powered Extended Long Tank Thor, flown on several earlier Delta rockets. Nine Castor-4A solid rocket boosters were attached to increase thrust at lift-off, replacing the less powerful Castor-4 boosters used on the 3000 series. The Delta-K was used as a second stage. In the configuration that was launched, no third stage was flown.

The Delta 5000 was launched just once, from Space Launch Complex 2W at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Launch occurred at 14:34 on 18 November 1989. It was successful, and placed the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) spacecraft into low Earth orbit.

Payload

References

References

1. "Delta 5000".
2. Wade, Mark. "Delta".
3. Krebs, Gunter. "Thor Family".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::