TIM FURNISS
The Boeing-led Sea Launch organisation's Russian and Ukrainian partners are keen for the company to offer a commercial satellite launch service from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, an executive revealed at the show. Sea Launch operates the Russian-Ukrainian Zenit 3SL booster, which is a basic Ukrainian Zenit 2 with a Russian DM upper stage from the Proton. Partners include the Ukraine's Yuzhnoye and Energia of Russia. Boeing has the largest stake of 40%. Norway's Kvaerner is also a partner but is trying sell its 20% stake. Offered
The Zenit 2 is being offered independently by Yuzhnoye and Energia for commercial flights from Baikonur into low Earth orbit (LEO). Sea Launch presently operates from an equatorial-based converted offshore platform in the mid-Pacific, providing direct delivery into equatorial geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). This equates to more payload capability, as a launcher not located on the equator uses more propellant to reach its target, having to complete a dog-leg manoeuvre from a high inclination. Flying from Baikonur would result in a reduction in the Sea Launch booster¹s 6,000kg (13,000lb) GTO capability.
Offshore
However, launches from Baikonur would reduce the costs of processing and shipping to the offshore launch platform, Odyssey, and the Sea Launch Commander control ship to the mid-Pacific, so launch costs would be lower, it was confirmed. The Zenit 2 might also officially join the Sea Launch stable if the LEO market was big enough. Boeing says that the Baikonur option was part of an agreement when Sea Launch was established in 1994. The company is being encouraged by the Ukrainian and Russian partners to look at this option.
It was also revealed that NASA had approached Sea Launch and other launcher organisations to consider making cargo deliveries to the International Space Station (ISS) on a commercial basis. However, the World Bank, which finances Sea Launch has a clause in its agreement that Sea Launch would not be used to carry government payloads. These have to fly on US launchers and the Sea Launch is not considered as fully American. Military
While Sea Launch interprets this as meaning that it cannot launch military payloads, the company has still to persuade the bank that launches for NASA would be of non-military, civilian logistics payloads. Some 50% of Sea Launch funding comes from the USA and the company spends 50% of its budget there. Current logistics flights are made using Soyuz boosters carrying Progress tankers, while the Space Shuttle also carries some cargo.
Source: Flight Daily News
