Delta IV - History

History

The Delta IV entered the space launch market at a period when global capacity was already much higher than demand. Furthermore, as an unproven design it has had difficulty finding a market in commercial launches, and the cost to launch a Delta IV is somewhat higher than that for competing vehicles. In 2003, Boeing pulled the Delta IV from the commercial market, citing low demand and high costs. In 2005, Boeing stated that it may return the Delta IV to commercial service; however as of 2006 no further announcements have been made regarding this. All but one of the first launches have been paid for by the U.S. Government, with a cost of between $140 million and $170 million.

Comparable rockets: Atlas V - Ariane 5 - Chang Zheng 5 - Angara - H-IIB - Proton - Falcon 9 - Falcon Heavy

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