Even people, far from space, known, that the zone of the most favorable conditions for launching missiles is at the equator. This is where the missile payload can be maximized., payload mass to orbit. Delve into the physical, which give this effect, I won't just because, what is the level of knowledge of high school.
The birth of the Sea Launch project is primarily associated with plans to deploy a wide network of commercial satellites in space.. The end of the century was the peak of this boom. Naturally, scientists have proposed a solution to this problem. It was necessary to create a floating rocket and space complex, allowing you to launch rockets directly from the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The project was officially launched in 1995 year. Several leading companies in the world rocket and space industry became the founders of the new enterprise.: American company Boeing, Russian RSC Energia, Ukrainian design bureau Yuzhnoye and PO Yuzhmash, Norwegian shipyard Kvaerner. Upon registration, the project was named Sea Launch.
Project completed by March 1998 of the year. It was by this time that a special Home Port was built in the USA. (Long Beach, California), mobile launch platform "ODYSSEY" and assembly and command ship "SEA LAUNCH COMMANDER". Many have already forgotten, that the project was successful. The first launch took place in March 1999 years using a booster “Zenith”.
To 2014 more than a year from the floating platform 30 successful launches. More than 150000 kilograms of payload. And not only the lungs were launched, but also heavy spacecraft.
Among other things,, the project allowed to work out the whole complex of preparatory and start-up works, necessary operations with spacecraft, delivery of devices, test, launch. However, 2014 year due to events in Ukraine, the project was stopped. I do not want to discuss the reasons for this stop today. I think, suffice it to say, that politics killed the project.
Ultimately, after two years of downtime and negotiations with potential buyers, the complex was sold to the S7 group of companies for almost 150 million. dollars. It should be said about that, that during the negotiations, especially in the material part of the transaction, S7 made many concessions to the Americans and Ukrainians. However, the new division of the company, S7 Space, hoped, that will be able to resume launches already in 2018 year. by the way, S7 Space headquarters was built again in the Home Port in Long Beach.
Prospects for Sea Launch today
The new owner of Sea Launch tried to restore the operation of the complex. but to 2018 year it became clear, that the Zenith rocket, which S7 counted on, will no longer be produced. Ukrainian enterprises are unable to restore production. And the Americans were not eager to continue the project.. Sanctions, introduced against the Russian Federation by the US President, almost made it senseless to continue work. It was then that the decision was made to relocate the platform and the command ship to Russia..
However, the S7 Space press service officially announced this only in December. 2019 of the year. This is due to bureaucratic delays in the United States. For relocation, an appropriate permission from the US authorities was required. This permission was received exactly in December 2019.
Basically, people, interested in the fate of "Sea Launch", getting permission was not a surprise. Above, I wrote about some of the features of the contract for the purchase of a complex in the field of material. so here, in October 2019 years on the platform and the command ship, work was carried out to dismantle American and Ukrainian equipment. Boeing ICT equipment and missile launch equipment “Zenith” from “Yuzhmasha” was filmed and placed in warehouses in Long Beach, that is, in the home port of the complex.
The State Duma Committee on Defense spoke about the disinfection measures for recruits
After all the adventures, after a long struggle for its own property, S7 Space nevertheless delivered the complex to Russia. 30 Martha 2020 of the year, the Hong Kong transport ship Xin Guang Hua with the launch platform Odyssey of the cosmodrome project “Sea launch” arrived at the roadstead of the port of Slavyanka in Primorye (80 km south of Vladivostok). Today, 31 Martha, the ship will be removed from the roadstead and taken to the Slavyansk Shipyard. The command ship "SEA LAUNCH COMMANDER" is already in Slavyanka.
Knowing the capabilities of the Slavyansk shipyard, it is possible to predict with a high probability a fairly quick return of the complex. From one to two years it will take shipbuilders to fully modernize ships. Everything will depend on the components, which are needed by these ships. Simply put, a new information communication system is needed (Russian, to replace the American) and equipment for launching missiles.
What rockets will be launched by Sea Launch
In specialized publications, you can now find a huge number of opinions about the future rocket., which will become the base for Sea Launch. Someone talks about already existing missiles, to be modernized. Someone talks about projects, which are under testing. Someone even thinks, that it is impossible to restore the complex without Zenit.
Nobody forbids to argue and express your opinion. But, it is useless: nothing depends on public opinion on such issues. Experts decide. Here we will turn to specialists.
so, press service of the rocket and space center "Progress":
At present, the specialists of our enterprise are discussing with S7 Space the tactical and technical requirements for the launch vehicle to support launches from the rocket and space complex. “Sea launch” and the timing of the main stages of work.
To my mind, this is enough for conclusions. RCC Progress will develop a rocket specifically for the Sea Launch complex. Respectively, new equipment for launching missiles will be developed. On what basis will new missiles be designed?, unknown. And even the designers themselves do not know this.. Only after receiving the terms of reference will it be possible to talk about it seriously ...
In general, the Sea Launch complex will live. The relevance and profitability of this project is undeniable. Elon Musk's company uses it perfectly today.. But the importance of space for business in the process of developing new technologies will also grow.. This means, business project promising.
Alexander Staver
