A launch of Zenit 3SL rocket from the Sea Launch platform Ocean Odyssey

Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets. As of April 2009 it had assembled and launched thirty rockets with two failures and one partial failure.

The sea-based launch system means the rockets can be fired from the optimum position on Earth's surface considerably increasing payload capacity and reducing launch costs compared to land-based systems.

Sea Launch was established in 1995 as a consortium of four companies from Norway Russia Ukraine and the United States and their first rocket was launched in March 1999. It was managed by Boeing with participation from the other shareholders.12

All commercial payloads have been communications satellites intended for geostationary transfer orbit with such customers as EchoStar DirecTV XM Satellite Radio and PanAmSat.

The launcher and its payload are assembled on a purpose-built ship Sea Launch Commander in Long Beach California USA. It is then positioned on top of the self-propelled platform Ocean Odyssey and moved to the equatorial Pacific Ocean for launch with the Sea Launch Commander serving as command center.

In June 2009 the provider of the Sea Launch service Sea Launch Co. LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.3 Sea Launch emerged from bankruptcy effective October 27 2010.4 Energia Overseas Limited a Russian corporation is majority owner of the reorganized entity. Contents 1 Ownership and business 2 Launches 3 NSS-8 launch failure 4 Concerns and investigations 5 Land launch 6 Advantages of equatorial ocean-platform based launches 7 Recognition 8 Similar projects 8.1 San Marco platform 8.2 Shtil 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Ownership and business

Four companies from four countries shared the original ownership of Cayman Islands-registered Sea Launch.5 It has been sold to Russian interests in October 2010 after going through Chapter 11 regulations 1. Company Country of origin Ownership share Contribution Boeing Commercial Space United States 40% System integration payload enclosures (nose-cone that protects the satellite during launch) Energia Russia 25% Block DM-SL rocket stage (it is used in the Zenit 3SL rocket as its 3rd stage) Aker Solutions Norway 20% Launch platform (Ocean Odyssey) and command ship (Sea Launch Commander) SDO Yuzhnoye / PO Yuzhmash Ukraine 15% Two-stage Zenit rocket (used as Zenit 3SL's stages 1 and 2)

The project was helped by Hughes Space and Communications which in 1995 signed the first contract for 10 launches and 10 options valued at $1bn and Space Systems/Loral which then signed a five-launch contract.

Total cost of the project has been reported at $583m in 1996. Chase Manhattan arranged about $400m in loans in 1996. Loans were later guaranteed against political instability in Russia and Ukraine through 2012 by the World Bank (up to $175m of these up to $100m in Russia and up to $75m in Ukraine) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (up to $65m).2 Sea Launch has a reciprocal agreement with Arianespace and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries through the Launch Services Alliance providing assurance in case either company's system is not able to launch a payload for reasons of reliability capacity backlog or otherwise. This was used for the first time in 2004 when Arianespaces Ariane 5 had to reschedule a group of launches for reliability reasons. The Sea Launch consortium claims that their launch-related operating costs are lower than a land-based equivalent due in part to reduced staff requirements. The platform and command ship have 310 crew members.6 On March 17 2006 it was announced that Jim Maser the President and General Manager of Sea Launch would leave the company to join SpaceX as President and Chief Operating Officer.7 On June 22 2009 the company filed for Chapter 11 protection.8 Sea Launch asserts it will "continue to maintain all normal business operations after the filing for reorganization."9 On 6 August 2010 Energia which already owned 25% of Sea Launch announced it planned to acquire a controlling interest of 85 % in the company. As a result the company plans to begin land-based launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in early 2011 with sea-based launches resuming later in 2011.10 Launches Sea Launch launch platform Ocean Odyssey The first demonstration satellite was launched on March 27 1999 and the first commercial satellite on October 9 1999. Sea Launch has launched 29 rockets with 26 successes and 1 partial success as of September 2008. The first failure of a Hughes-built communications satellite owned by ICO Global Communications occurred on the second commercial launch on March 12 2000 and was blamed on a software error that failed to close a valve in the second stage of the rocket. A second rocket failed to launch on 30 January 2007 when Zenit-3SL exploded on the launch pad with the Boeing 702 NSS-8 satellite on board seconds after engine ignition. All Sea Launch missions to date have used the custom-designed three-stage Zenit-3SL launch vehicle capable of placing up to six tonnes of payload in geosynchronous orbit. Sea Launch rocket components are manufactured by SDO Yuzhnoye / PO Yuzhmash in Dnipropetrovsk Ukraine (Zenit rocket for the first and second stages); by Energia in Moscow Russia (Block DM-SL for third stage); and by Boeing in Seattle United States (payload fairing and interstage structure). Sea Launch rockets are assembled in Long Beach California. The typical assembly is done onboard the Assembly and Command Ship (the payload is first tested fueled and encapsulated in the nearby Payload Processing Facility). The rocket is then transferred to a horizontal hangar on the self-propelled launch platform. Following rocket tests both ships then sail about 4828 km to the equator at 154 West Longitude 0N 154W / 0N 154W / 0; -154 in international waters about 370 km from Kiritimati Kiribati. The platform travels the distance in about 11 days the command ship in about eight days. With the platform ballasted to its launch depth of 22 m the hangar is opened the rocket is mechanically moved to a vertical position and the launch platform crew evacuates to the command ship which moves about five kilometers away. Then with the launch platform unmanned the rocket is fueled and launched. The final ten seconds before launch are called out simultaneously in English and Russian. Date Payload Mass Result Number March 27 1999 DemoSat 4.5 t success 1 October 9 1999 DIRECTV 1-R 3.5 t success 2 March 12 2000 ICO F-1 2.7 t failure 3 July 28 2000 PAS-9 3.7 t success 4 October 20 2000 Thuraya-1 5.1 t success 5 March 18 2001 XM-2 ROCK 4.7 t success 6 May 8 2001 XM-1 ROLL 4.7 t success 7 June 15 2002 Galaxy IIIC 4.9 t success 8 June 10 2003 Thuraya-2 5.2 t success 9 August 7 2003 EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 4.7 t success 10 September 30 2003 Galaxy XIII/Horizons-1 4.1 t success 11 January 10 2004 Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul 1 4.7 t success 12 May 4 2004 DIRECTV-7S 5.5 t success 13 June 28 2004 Telstar-18 4.8 t launch anomaly 14 March 1 2005 XM-3 4.7 t success 15 April 26 2005 SPACEWAY-1 6.0 t success 16 June 23 2005 Intelsat IA-8 5.5 t success 17 November 8 2005 Inmarsat 4-F2 6.0 t success 18 February 15 2006 EchoStar X 4.3 t success 19 April 12 2006 JCSAT-9 4.4 t success 20 June 18 2006 Galaxy 16 5.1 t success 21 August 22 2006 Koreasat 5 4.9 t success 22 October 30 2006 XM-4 4.7 t success 23 January 30 2007 NSS-8 5.9 t failure 24 January 15 2008 Thuraya-3 5.2 t success 25 March 19 2008 DirecTV-11 5.9 t success 26 May 21 2008 Galaxy 18 4.6 t success 27 July 16 2008 EchoStar XI 5.5 t success11 28 September 24 2008 Galaxy 19 4.7 t success12 29 April 20 2009 SICRAL 1B 3.0 t success13 30 NSS-8 launch failure See also: NSS-8 The Sea Launch NSS-8 launch explosion on January 30 2007. The explosion has obscured the floating launch pad platform. On January 30 2007 the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket carrying NSS-8 and 500 tons of fuel14 exploded on launch.15 Available imagery shows a fireball much larger than the launch platform at sea level.16 Video of the rocket exploding on YouTube. Since the launch pad platform is vacated by all engineers during the automated launch process there were no injuries. On February 1 2007 Sea Launch released a statement detailing its status.17 It is believed that the failure was caused by a foreign object being ingested by the engine causing the rocket to crash immediately.18 On February 3 2007 photographs of the damage were posted on internet forums.19 The launch platform damage is mostly superficial though blast deflectors underneath the launch platform were knocked loose and were lost when they fell into the sea. In March 2007 shortly after the NSS-8 launch failure Hughes Network Systems switched the launch of SPACEWAY-3 from a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL to an Ariane 5.2021 Repairs of the launch platform were completed in September 2007.22 The Sea Launch platform underwent repairs in Canada docked near CFB Esquimalt just west of Victoria British Columbia and departed on July 31 2007. Both vessels returned to their home port in Long Beach California.23 Concerns and investigations During project development in 1998 Boeing was fined $10m by United States Department of State for technical violations of Arms Export Control Act in handling of missile technology while dealing with its foreign Sea Launch partners the largest civil penalty of its kind (although it could have been as much as 102 million USD).24 The Sea Launch project was suspended for two months during the investigation. The Department of State found that between January 1994 and January 1998 Boeing illegally exported "defense articles" and "defense services" although no national security breaches were determined.25 The violations were uncovered by Boeing's internal investigation. At about the same time United States Customs Service attempted to block Sea Launch from bringing Zenit 3SL rockets (classified as missiles) into California for assembly without a munitions import licence. The matter was settled in the company's favour.26 Also in 1998 16 member states of the South Pacific Forum issued a communiqu asking the United States to suspend the project indefinitely until and unless their environmental concerns are remedied. It was mostly criticized by the island nation of Kiribati.24 The project was criticized in 1997 by International Transport Workers' Federation (ITWF) for registering its sea vessels in Liberia.24 In May 1999 Sea Launch reached an agreement with the ITWF which allows crew members to use ITWF inspectors. Land launch Main article: Land Launch Using existing Zenit infrastructure at the Baikonur Cosmodrome the Land Launch system is based on a modified version of the Sea Launch vehicle the three-stage Zenit 3SL rocket. Land Launch's Zenit 3SLB vehicle addresses the launch needs of commercial satellites weighing up to three-and-a-half metric tonnes. The two-stage Zenit-2SLB is also available for lifting payloads up to thirteen metric tonnes to inclined low Earth orbits. The first launch was on 28 April 2008 when a Zenit-3SLB launched Spacecom Ltd's AMOS-3 spacecraft from LC-45/1 at Baikonur. Advantages of equatorial ocean-platform based launches Sea Launch command ship Sea Launch Commander There are several advantages of an ocean-based equatorial launch platform over a conventional land-based one: The rotational speed of the Earth is greatest at the equator providing a minor extra launch "boost". The need for a "plane change" to the zero degree inclination of geostationary orbit is eliminated providing a major extra launch "boost". The same rocket launched from Cape Canaveral at 28.5 degrees north latitude would lift 15%20% less mass to geostationary orbit. An ocean launch reduces risks related to launching over populated areas providing better safety to third parties. Absence of range conflicts with other launch systems and a near total absence of ship or overhead air traffic that would constrain launch. Any orbital inclination could be reached thus (for example) combining in one launch site the attainable inclinations of both Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. Recognition Sea Launch was awarded the Space Foundation's Space Achievement Award27 in 2000. Similar projects Although Sea Launch is currently the world's only ocean-based space launch company the idea of launching satellites from marine vessel is not unique. San Marco platform Between 1964 and 1988 the University of Rome La Sapienza in Italy and NASA launched a number of spacecraft from the San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya. Unlike the Sea Launch platform the San Marco platform was not self-propelled instead being towed by a tug. It also stood on the seabed during launches whereas Sea Launch is stabilised in open water by a dynamic positioning system. Shtil Shtil' rockets have been used to orbit payloads launched from submarines.28 Unlike Sea Launch which performs launches of geosynchronous satellites from the equator Shtil rockets were launched from the Arctic ocean. See also Wikinews has related news: Zenit rocket explodes on launch pad Expendable launch system Launch vehicle types by launch platform References "Sea Launch System - Commercial heavy-lift launch services USA". Aerospace-technology.com. 2006. http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/sealaunch/.  a b "Zenit 3SL". Orbireport.com. 19972000. http://www.orbireport.com/Launchers/Zenit3SL/Architecture.html.  James Andrea (June 24 2009). "Boeing's satellite launch subsidiary files for Chapter 11". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/172105.asp.  "Sea Launch Company Emerges From Chapter 11". Sea Launch. October 27 2010. http://sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2010/nr101027.html.  "The Sea Launch Partnership". Energia. http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/sea-launch/partner.html.  Wilson Jim (August 1999). "Sea Launch". Popular Mechanics. pp. 6467. http://books.google.com/booksidSWYEAAAAMBAJ&lpgPA64&ots2JGVgWMo1m&pgPA64#vonepage&q&ffalse.  "Jim Maser to Join SpaceX as President and Chief Operating Officer". SpaceRef.com. March 17 2006. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid19291.  Kamalakaran Ajay (Jun 22 2009). "Sea Launch files for Chapter 11 protection". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSBNG17593820090623.  Sea Launch (June 22 2009). "Sea Launch Files Chapter 11 to Address Financial Challenges". Press release. http://www.boeing.com/special/sea-launch/newsreleases/2009/nr090622.html.  "Russian money to drive Sea Launch relaunch". Flightglobal.com. 6 August 2010. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/08/06/345841/russian-money-to-drive-sea-launch-relaunch.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010.  Sea Launch (July 16 2008). "Sea Launch Successfully Delivers EchoStar XI to Orbit". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2008/nr080716.html.  Sea Launch (September 24 2008). "Sea Launch Successfully Delivers Galaxy 19 to Orbit". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2008/nr082409.html.  Sea Launch (April 20 2009). "Sea Launch Successfully Delivers SICRAL 1B Satellite to Orbit". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2009/nr090420.html.  "Satellite-Strapped Rocket Explodes on Platform (Video)". Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technologynews/4212403.html.  Sea Launch (January 30 2007). "Sea Launch Experiences Anomaly during NSS-8 Launch". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2007/nr070130.html. Retrieved January 30 2007.  Ray Justin (January 30 2007). "Sea Launch Rocket Explodes on Pad". Spaceflightnow.com. http://spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/nss8/.  Sea Launch (February 1 2007). "Sea Launch Assesses Status and Plans for Next Steps". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2007/nr070201.html.  "The Zenit rocket explodes on the launch pad in the Pacific Ocean". russianspaceweb.com. January 30 2007. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/zenitnss8.html.  Bergin Chris (February 4 2007). "Sea Launch makes for home as investigation continues". nasaspaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/02/sea-launch-makes-for-home-as-investigation-continues/.  Hughes (March 1 2007). "Hughes Signs Contract with Arianespace to Launch SPACEWAY 3". Press release. http://www.hughes.com/HNS%20Library%20Press%20Release/03-01-07%20Hughes%20Signs%20Contract%20with%20Arianespace%20to%20Launch%20SPACEWAY%203.htm.  Sea Launch (December 8 2005). "Sea Launch awarded SPACEWAY 3 contract by Hughes Network Systems". Press release. http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/ic/sis/news/2005/q4/nr051208s.html.  Sea Launch (September 3 2007). "Sea Launch Receives Zenit-3SL Hardware for Next Launches". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2007/nr070903.html.  Sea Launch (August 23 2007). "New Gas Deflector Arrives at Sea Launch Home Port". Press release. http://www.sea-launch.com/newsreleases/2007/nr070823.html.  a b c Woodard Colin (September 22 1999). "High-seas launch worries islanders". The Christian Science Monitor via the Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/news/ukraine/p5s1.htm.  Grimaldi James V (October 1 1998). "Boeing Dodges Stiffer Fine Resumes Sea Launch Project -- No National Security Breach In Satellite-Launching Program; Criminal Charges Aren't Likely". The Seattle Times. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/displayslug2775229&date19981001&querysea+launch+export.  Kempton Daniel; Balc Susan (August 10 2001). "High Seas Satellite Launches: Paragon of Post Cold War Cooperation or Unregulated Danger". Convention of International Studies. Hong Kong: International Studies Association. http://isanet.ccit.arizona.edu/archive/Sea%20Launch%20notes.html.  "Space Achievement Award". National Space Symposium. http://2010.nationalspacesymposium.org/node/583.  Easterbrook Gregg (May 2003). "Long Shot: Private Space from Sea.". The Atlantic Monthly. http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/05/easterbrook.htm.  External links Official Sea Launch web site Energia's Sea Launch web page Sea Launch launch manifest on LyngSat