SEA LAUNCH

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 January 2007 it had assembled and launched 24 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.

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

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. 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.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• SEA
• LAUNCH
• SEALAUNCH
• Zenit

[PathfinderEast]

Great video, thank you. Zenith 3SL rocket was designed in Ukraine, at Pivdenne Design Bureau.

[Zoomer30]

The equator is the best place to lauch a rocket from, going east you get the most "speed bonus". The Earth rotates to the east and the fasest speed is at 0 deg (the equator). You can send a lot more weight up.

If NASA could have done it, they would have made their launch center as near the equator as possible. FL was the best trade off (clear area to the east, the OCEAN)

[starwarsfan767]

Dang i saw the launch pad in honolulu harbor in hawai and i thought it was a oil rig or a nuke plant O.o

[DeanMalenko]

next launch: saturday sept. 24th ! go watch a livestream

[spadden]

Russian piece of junk. US rockets are not much better and yes I am American

[wwwtotalitaerde]

If my homepage disappears, the BND will have assassinated me

These authors, human rights and internet activists have been murdered by the German BND, the renamed GESTAPO:

Fritz Bauer (prosecutor of the Frankfurt Auschwitz processes), Kirsten Heisig, Bernd Seiffert, Karl Koch, Tron, Martina Pflock, Heiner Gehring, Jürgen Möllemann, Uwe Barschel and my brother Markus Bott

BND snitchers are flagging and thumbing me down. Thumbs up if you want the BND to stop systematic torture and assassination

[jpourkav]

whyd they blur out the RD-170 engine???

[AngeluuSadyeaa749]

hihì_Àñÿ_gúYs_wÅnt_tO_chåt_wIt­h_mE

[bombarderoazul]

the rocket is ukranian but with a russian third stage.

[NationalPro]

wow

[bigbengamer]

That sucks, I was hoping to see the ships come together like a Megazord