Boeing's first Delta III is pictured on Pad 17B at Cape Canaveral, Florida, being prepared for its maiden flight scheduled for 3 August, carrying the Hughes HS-601 Galaxy 10 communications satellite. The Delta III, which can place 3,810kg into geostationary transfer orbit, comprises a stretched Delta II first stage with an extended fuel tank which mates to a new second stage powered by a Pratt & Whitney RLB10-2, derived from the twin-engined Centaur upper stage. The thrust of the Delta III first stage is augmented by enlarged Alliant Techsystems graphite epoxy strap-on boosters (Flight International, 11-17 Feb- ruary). The Galaxy 10 is one of 18 satellites so far manifested for the Delta III, including five from Space Systems/ Loral and 13 from Hughes. Four more Delta III launches are planned to take place in 1999, including the second launch carrying the Hughes HS-601HP Orion 3 satellite.
Source: Flight International
