Delta IX Rocket

The Delta IX rocket is a vehicle on display in the Museum of Technology in Fallout 3. The Delta IX rocket was commissioned in 2020 by the United States Space Administration and constructed by REPCONN Aerospace.

Background
The Delta IX was the last of the manned rockets to Earth's moon. Over the next 15 years, the Delta IX recorded over 77 successful launches making it one of the most successful rockets in American history. However, after these 15 years, all the remaining Delta IX rockets were converted for U.S. military purposes, and the crew and instrument sections were replaced with nuclear warheads. The last manned mission to the Moon occurred in 2052.

The rocket, developed entirely by USSA scientists, was a single-stage vehicle with an ejectable crew section or satellite storage bay. The propulsion system was a nuclear-electric derivative drive, using a massive electrical jolt to start the nuclear reaction on launch. The crew section was protected from the radioactive chambers by way of a massive titanium-vanadium disc. The spacecraft had the capability to sustain two astronauts up to a maximum of 24 days. The longest recorded space flight in a Delta IX rocket was the 17-day Zeus 12 mission to the moon.

The Delta IX Rocket in the Washington, D.C. Museum of Technology was donated by the United States Space Administration and by a grant from the United States Department of Antiquities.

Locations
The Delta IX rocket is mentioned in the Museum of Technology on a description plate, next to a full-scale model of the rocket itself. There is also a crashed and radioactive Delta IX rocket located in Vernon Square, near the exit to the Statesman Hotel.

Appearances
The Delta IX rocket appears both in Fallout 3 and in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes
The Delta IX rocket appears to be a continuation of the Delta rocket family that saw its first production in the 1960s and is still being produced in the real-world as of 2019.