Delta E

{{Short description|American expendable launch vehicle}}

{{about|the rocket|the difference between colours|color difference}}

{{Use American English|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox Rocket

|image = Delta-E launching Pioneer-6.jpg

|caption = Launch of a Delta E with Pioneer 6

|function = Expendable launch system

|country-origin = United States

|sites = Cape Canaveral LC-17
Vandenberg SLC-2E

|launches = 23

|success = 23

|status = Retired

|first = 6 November 1965

|last = 1 April 1971

}}

The Delta E, or Thor-Delta E was an American expendable launch system used for twenty-three orbital launches between 1965 and 1971. It was a member of the Delta family of rockets.

The first stage was a Thor missile in the DSV-2C configuration, and the second stage was the Delta-E, which was derived from the earlier Delta-A.{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=2016-12-28 |title=Delta E |url=http://astronautix.com/d/deltae.html |access-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228023146/http://astronautix.com/d/deltae.html |archive-date=2016-12-28 }}{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=2016-12-28 |title=Delta A |url=http://astronautix.com/d/deltaa.html |access-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228052413/http://astronautix.com/d/deltaa.html |archive-date=2016-12-28 }} Three Castor-1 solid rocket boosters were clustered around the first stage. Two different solid-fuel upper stages were available; an Altair-2 was used on the baseline version, however this could be replaced with an FW-4D to increase performance. A Delta E with the FW-4D upper stage was designated Delta E1. Six flights used the Delta E configuration and seventeen used the Delta E1.{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Gunter |title=Delta-E |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/delta-e.htm |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Gunter. |title=Delta-E1 |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/delta-e1.htm |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}

Delta E rockets were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17 and Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 2E. All 23 flights were successful. On December 16 1965, a Delta E launched the Pioneer 6 space probe.{{Cite web|last=Wade|first=Mark|title=Delta|url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/delta.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724064027/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/delta.htm|archive-date=2008-07-24}}{{Cite web|last=Krebs|first=Gunter|title=Thor Family|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_fam/thor.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-21|website=Gunter's Space Page|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806202728/http://space.skyrocket.de:80/doc_lau_fam/thor.htm |archive-date=2007-08-06 }}