# Delta II
*launch services*

## Specifications
- **entity type**: launch_service
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-11
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **attributes**: {}
- **relevance**: ancillary

## Editorial
Delta II is a retired American medium-lift launch vehicle that flew from 1989 to 2018.[^wikipedia-delta-ii] The vehicle was operated successively by McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance (ULA).[^ula-delta-ii-page] It launched Earth observation and climate missions including ICESat, Aqua, and CALIPSO during its operational life.[^wikipedia-delta-ii] Its final flight in September 2018 delivered NASA's ICESat-2 ice-sheet elevation mission to polar orbit.[^aerospace-final-flight]

## Sources
- [wikipedia-delta-ii] | Delta II, Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_II | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-11
- [ula-delta-ii-page] | Delta II, ULA | https://www.ulalaunch.com/rockets/delta-ii | tier=operator-engineering | accessed=2026-06-11
- [ula-icesat2-mission] | Delta II ICESat-2 mission page, ULA | https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/archived-launched/delta-ii-icesat-2 | tier=operator-engineering | accessed=2026-06-11
- [aerospace-final-flight] | Final Flight for the Delta II Rocket, Aerospace Corporation | https://aerospace.org/article/final-flight-delta-ii-rocket | tier=operator-press | accessed=2026-06-11
- [nsf-delta-ii-legacy] | Delta II concludes amazing legacy with ICESat-2 launch, NASASpaceFlight | https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/09/delta-end-legacy-icesat-2-launch/ | tier=operator-press | accessed=2026-06-11

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/launch_services/ula-delta-ii
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)