Boeing’s Delta III to Lift Off With Load

A Delta III rocket scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday will carry a simulated payload on a data-gathering mission designed to boost the market potential for the Delta III and Delta IV rockets, a Boeing Inc. official in Huntington Beach said Monday.

The 9,480-pound payload is equipped with instruments to measure vibration response and also will seek to validate Boeing’s current data on launch-vehicle performance, spokeswoman Beth Hill said.

In addition, the simulated payload has been painted with alternating black and white stripes and has reflective material installed to support U.S. Air Force and University of Colorado satellite studies.

The payload is designed to match the mass and frequency characteristics of common commercial communication satellites sized for Delta III, Hill said. Boeing engineers will gather data on the interaction of the payload with the vehicle.

Delta III was designed to address the growing size of commercial satellites. As a transitional vehicle to the Delta IV family of rockets, it can carry twice the payload of a Delta II.

The four-hour launch window at the Air Force Station in Florida opens at 4 a.m. Pacific time.