spacetoday.net: ULA restructures Delta 2 program

Posted: Wed, Jan 30, 2008, 7:21 AM ET (1221 GMT)
Delta 2 launch of GPS 2R-18 (ULA)

Facing the loss of one of its biggest customers, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced Tuesday that it was restructuring its Delta 2 launch vehicle program to keep it operation for the long term. The medium-lift Delta 2 is used primarily by the US Air Force and NASA, but the Air Force is phasing out its use of the vehicle in favor of the larger Delta 4 and Atlas 5 EELV rockets. The restructuring involves reducing the amount of facilities used by the Delta 2 program and taking advantage of unspecified synergies with the larger EELV programs. That restructuring is designed to allow the Delta 2 to continue operations at lower launch rates while maintaining "competitive" prices. ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, started operations in late 2006 to operate both the Atlas and Delta vehicle families.