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S7 Group bought the floating cosmodrome "Sea Launch". Why did a Russian businessman buy the floating cosmodrome Sea Launch?

After it became clear that a more powerful launch vehicle than Scout-2 would not be created for the San Marco cosmodrome (the payload for launches from San Marco did not exceed 200 kg), Russia and the United States began consultations on the issue of creating a project that later became known as “Sea Launch”.

“We want to assure our customers, suppliers and partners that after submitting the application, Sea Launch intends to continue its activities. The Chapter 11 reorganization provides us with the opportunity to continue our operations and focus our efforts on developing plans for our future growth,” the company said.

A project is being developed to move the home port and ground service infrastructure from Los Angeles to Sovgavan or Vladivostok.

According to available information, in January 2015, according to the results of a meeting of the board of directors of RSC Energia, the Sea Launch project plans to further use the Angara heavy launch vehicle.

In 2014-2015 The Russian side held negotiations with the USA, China, Brazil, UAE and Australia on the sale of the project. On March 30, Roscosmos announced the imminent closure of the deal to sell the project. However, the name of the buyer is not disclosed. According to the Kommersant newspaper, co-owner of the group Vladislav Filev may become a new investor in Sea Launch.

In June 2016, Roscosmos again held negotiations with Australia about the sale of Sea Launch.

In August 2016, the Russian rocket and space corporation Energia and the American company Boeing resolved the dispute over the Sea Launch project. Under the terms of the preliminary agreement, the Russian side will repay the debt, estimated at $330 million, by providing services and participating in joint projects. It is also planned to write off part of the debt. The specific amount is not named. A preliminary agreement was signed with Boeing to resolve the Sea Launch dispute; in connection with this, the US court suspended all actions to collect the debt. However, for the final adoption of the settlement agreement, it is necessary that it be approved by the board of directors of Energia and approved by Roscosmos.

In September 2016, it became known that a subsidiary of the S7 Group, S7 Space Transport Systems, would become the buyer and operator of the international Sea Launch project.

On September 27, 2016, a contract was signed between S7 Group and the Sea Launch group of companies for the purchase of the Odyssey ship and platform with missile segment equipment installed on them, ground equipment in the base port (USA) and the Sea Launch trademark. According to the General Director of S7 Group Vladislav Filev, after the final closure of the transaction, which is expected to be completed in 6 months, investments by the S7 group of companies could amount to up to $160 million. . Also, on the same day, September 27, a cooperation agreement was signed between RSC Energia and S7 Group. It is planned that the project will become entirely Russian. In this case, management of the Sea Launch project will be transferred from Switzerland to Moscow.

Space launches

The demonstration satellite was launched on March 28, 1999.

The first commercial launch was successfully carried out in October of the same year.

Launch vehicle "Sunkar" for Sea Launch

As of late September 2016, various options are being considered for launches from the Odyssey launch platform. According to S7 Group press secretary Anna Bazhina, the company is ready to cooperate on this issue with Ukrainian colleagues and carry out launches based on the Zenit rocket. At the same time, other options are being explored, including the creation of a new rocket. According to RSC Energia President Vladimir Solntsev, RSC Energia is ready to accelerate the development of a new Sunkar launch vehicle for launches from the Sea Launch floating cosmodrome. Subject to the support of funding for the creation of this rocket by the S7 Group, the new Sunkar launch vehicle can be created within five years.

Other RNs

see also

  • Sea Dragon rocket
  • Strategic missile submarine cruiser

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Notes

  • // September 28, 2016
  • d/f “Superstructures: Marine Cosmodrome” (National Geographic)
  • on YouTube, Man and Law, broadcast 02/08/2013

India


Another Asian giant actively developing its missile technology is India. This is primarily due to the improvement of nuclear missile potential in the confrontation with China and Pakistan. At the same time, national space programs are being implemented.


Indian launch vehicles

In the south of Andhra Pradesh, on the island of Sriharikota in the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Satish Dhawan Space Center was built.

It is named after the former head of the space center after his death. The spaceport is owned by the Indian Space Research Organization. Proximity to the equator is one of the undoubted advantages of the cosmodrome. The first launch from the cosmodrome took place on July 18, 1980.


Launch of Indian light launch vehicle ASLV

The cosmodrome has two launch pads and a third one is under construction. In addition to launch complexes for rockets for various purposes, the cosmodrome has a tracking station, two installation and testing complexes, and special stands for testing rocket engines. A plant for the production of rocket fuel was built on the territory of the cosmodrome.


Google Earth satellite image: launcher at Sriharikota spaceport

Launches from the cosmodrome are carried out: light type ASLV, launch weight 41,000 kg and heavy type GSLV, launch weight up to 644,750 kg.

India is one of the very few space powers that independently launches communications satellites into geostationary orbit (the first GSAT-2 - 2003), return spacecraft (SRE - 2007) and automatic interplanetary stations to the Moon (Chandrayaan-1 - 2008 ) and provides international launch services.

GSLV launch vehicle being transported to launch position

India has its own manned space program and is expected to start manned space flights on its own from 2016 and become the fourth space superpower. Russia provides great assistance in this.

Japan

The largest Japanese spaceport is the Tanegashima Space Center.

The spaceport is located on the southeastern coast of Tanegashima Island, in the south of Kagoshima Prefecture, 115 km south of Kyushu Island. It was founded in 1969 and is managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.


Google Earth satellite image: Tanegashima Cosmodrome"

Here, satellites are assembled, tested, launched and tracked, and rocket engines are tested. Japanese heavy launch vehicles H-IIA and H-IIB, with a launch weight of up to 531,000 kg, are launched from the cosmodrome.


Launch of the H-IIB launch vehicle

These are the main launch vehicles launched from the cosmodrome; in addition to them, light geophysical rockets intended for suborbital scientific research are also launched from here.

The launch site for the H-IIA and H-IIB missiles includes two launch pads with service towers. H-IIA launch vehicles are transported and installed on sites in fully assembled form.

Japan's second spaceport is Uchinoura Space Center. It is located on the Pacific coast near the Japanese city of Kimotsuki (formerly Uchinoura), in Kagoshima Prefecture. Construction of the Space Center, intended for experimental launches of large rockets, began in 1961 and was completed in February 1962. Until the formation of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in 2003, it was designated the Kagoshima Space Center and operated under the auspices of the Institute of Space and Aeronautics.


Google Earth satellite image: Utinoura cosmodrome

There are four launchers at the cosmodrome. From the Utinoura cosmodrome, solid-fuel light-class launch vehicles "Mu" are launched, with a launch weight of up to 139,000 kg.

They were used for all launches of Japanese scientific spacecraft, as well as geophysical and meteorological rockets.


launch of the Mu-5 launch vehicle

The Mu-5 should be replaced by the Epsilon rocket, which, although it can launch a slightly smaller payload into low-Earth orbit than the Mu-5, should be much cheaper.

In addition to launching commercial and scientific satellites, Japan participates in a number of international programs. The Mu-5 launch vehicle launched the Nozomi satellites for Mars exploration and the Hayabusa spacecraft, which explored the Itokawa asteroid. The last launch, during which the Solar-B and HIT-SAT satellites were launched into orbit, as well as the SSSAT solar sail, used the H-IIB launch vehicle to deliver cargo to the ISS.

Brazil

Another South American spaceport after the French Kourou was the Brazilian Alcantara Launch Center, in the north of the country’s Atlantic coast. It is located even closer to the equator than the French Kourou.

Brazil's attempts to develop its own space programs, due to a lack of experience and a low scientific and technological base, did not lead to the desired result.


Brazilian launch vehicle VLS-1

The next test on August 22, 2003 of the Brazilian VLS-1 light-class launch vehicle ended in tragedy. The rocket exploded on the launch pad two days before launch.

The explosion killed 21 people. This incident had an extremely negative impact on the entire Brazilian space program.


Satellite image of the starting position of the Alcantara cosmodrome after the explosion

Unable to build its own efficient launch vehicles, Brazil is trying to develop a spaceport through international cooperation. In 2003, contracts were signed to launch Ukrainian Cyclone-4 and Israeli Shavit launch vehicles. There are plans to conclude similar contracts in relation to the Russian Protons and the Chinese Long March 4.

Israel

At the Palmachim airbase, located next to Kibbutz Palmachim, near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne, a launch center was built to launch Shavit missiles and other missiles. The first launch took place on September 19, 1988. Rocket launches are carried out not in the eastern one, like the vast majority of cosmodromes, but in westward, that is, against the rotation of the Earth. This certainly reduces the weight thrown into orbit. The reason for this is that the launch route can only be laid over the Mediterranean Sea: the lands to the east of the base are densely populated, and at the same time the neighboring countries are located quite close.

Israel began its space program due to defense needs, both for intelligence (tracking potential enemies using satellites) and for programs to create missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.


night launch of the Shafit launch vehicle

The Israeli Shavit launch vehicle is a three-stage solid-fuel rocket. The first two stages are identical, weigh 13 tons each, and are mass-produced in Israel by the IAI concern. The third stage was built by Rafael and weighs 2.6 tons. The Shavit launch vehicle was launched eight times from 1988 to 2010. This missile can be used as a carrier of a nuclear warhead. The Shavit rocket launches Israeli Ofek reconnaissance satellites. Ofek (horizon) satellites were developed in Israel by the IAI concern. In total, by 2010, nine Ofek satellites had been created.

The State of Israel has a developed radio-electronic industry, which allows the creation of fairly advanced satellites for any purpose. But due to its small territory and geographical circumstances, in this country there is no possibility of building a cosmodrome from which it would be possible to safely launch launch vehicles along effective trajectories. Israeli telecommunications and scientific satellites are launched into orbit during commercial launches of foreign launch vehicles from spaceports abroad. At the same time, Israel is demonstrating a desire to develop its own space programs and launch military satellites into orbit using its own launch vehicles. In this regard, negotiations are underway with a number of states, primarily with the USA and Brazil, on the possibility of launching Israeli rockets from spaceports located on their territory.

Iran

The Iranian Semnan cosmodrome has been operating since February 2, 2009, when the Iranian Omid satellite was launched into orbit using the Safir (Messenger) launch vehicle.

The cosmodrome is located in the Dasht-Kevir desert (northern Iran), near its administrative center - the city of Semnan.


Iranian Safir launch vehicle

The Safir light-class launch vehicle was created on the basis of the Shahab-3/4 medium-range combat ballistic missile.


Google Earth satellite image: the launch pad of the Semnan cosmodrome

The Semnan Cosmodrome has disadvantages and limitations due to its location, as a result of which the Iranian Space Agency intends to begin construction of a second spaceport for launching spacecraft, which will be located in the south of the country.

DPRK

In the early 80s, in North Korea on the east coast, in Hwadae-gun County, Hamgyong Puk-do Province, construction began on a missile test site, which later became known as the Donghae Cosmodrome.


North Korean ballistic missiles

The choice of location for the test site was influenced by such factors as sufficient distance from the demilitarized zone, minimizing the danger of missiles flying over the territory of neighboring countries, general distance from large populated areas, and relatively favorable meteorological factors.

In the period from the mid-80s to the early 90s, a command post, a control center, a fuel storage facility, warehouses, a test stand were built, and communications were modernized.

In the early 90s, test launches of North Korean ballistic missiles began here.


Satellite image: Donghae Cosmodrome

American and Japanese air defense and space control systems have repeatedly recorded launches of medium- and long-range missiles from the Donghae Cosmodrome.


Test launch of the Unha-2 launch vehicle

Some of them were regarded as attempts to launch artificial satellites into space orbit. According to the application news agency On April 5, 2009, the DPRK launched the experimental artificial communications satellite Gwangmyongsong-2 from the cosmodrome using the Unha-2 launch vehicle. Despite conflicting reports from sources in different countries, most likely the launch of the satellite into orbit ended in failure.

The Republic of Korea

Construction of the South Korean Naro Spaceport, located near the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, on Venarodo Island, began in August 2003.

On August 25, 2009, the first Korean launch vehicle, called Naro-1, was launched from the cosmodrome. The launch ended in failure - due to a failure during separation of the fairing, the satellite did not enter the intended orbit. On June 10, 2010, the second launch of the launch vehicle also ended in failure.


Google Earth satellite image: Naro Cosmodrome

The third successful launch of the Naro-1 (KSLV-1) rocket took place on January 30, 2013, making South Korea the 11th space power.


The launch was broadcast live by local television channels, the rocket reached a predetermined altitude and launched the STSAT-2C research satellite into orbit.


Launch of Naro-1

The Naro-1 light rocket, with a launch weight of up to 140,600 kg, was produced by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) together with Korean Air and the Russian Khrunichev Space Center. According to South Korean media reports, KSLV-1 is 80% identical to the Angara launch vehicle, created at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center.

Floating spaceport "Sea Launch" (Odyssey)

In 1995, the Sea Launch Company (SLC) consortium was created as part of international space cooperation. It included: the American company Boeing Commercial Space Company (a subsidiary of the Boeing aerospace corporation), providing general management and financing (40% of capital), the Russian Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (25%), the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau ( 5%) and Yuzhmash Production Association (10%), as well as the Norwegian shipbuilding company Aker Kværner (20%). The headquarters of the consortium is located in the Californian city of Long Beach. The Russian Transport Engineering Design Bureau and Rubin Central Design Bureau were involved as contractors under the contracts.

The idea of ​​a marine spaceport is to deliver a launch vehicle by sea to the equator, where there are the best conditions for launch (the Earth's rotation speed can be used as efficiently as possible). This method was used in 1964-1988 at the San Marco naval spaceport, which was a stationary moored platform near the equator in Kenyan territorial waters.

The marine segment of the Sea Launch complex consists of two sea vessels: the launch platform (LP) Odyssey and the assembly and command vessel (ACS) Sea Launch Commander.


Complex "Sea Launch"

The launch platform was the former self-propelled oil production platform OCEAN ODYSSEY, built in Yokosuka, Japan in 1982-1984. The platform corresponded to the class for an unlimited navigation area. The platform was heavily damaged during a fire on September 22, 1988. After the fire, the platform was partially dismantled and was no longer used for its intended purpose. In 1992, the platform underwent repairs and re-equipment at the Vyborg Shipyard. It was decided to use it in the Sea Launch project. “Odyssey” has very impressive dimensions: length 133 m, width 67 m, height 60 m, displacement 46 thousand tons.


Launch platform "Odyssey"

In 1996-1997, at the Norwegian shipyard Rosenberg in Stavanger, special launch equipment was installed on the platform, and it became known as Odyssey. The second stage of the re-equipment of the joint venture took place at the Vyborg Shipyard.

The assembly and command ship (SCS) Sea Launch Commander was built specifically for the Sea Launch project by Kvaerner Govan Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland in 1997. In 1998, the SCS was retrofitted at the Kanonersky shipyard, St. Petersburg. The SKS is equipped with systems and equipment that allow carrying out on board complex tests of the launch vehicle and upper stage, filling the upper stage with propellant and oxidizer components, and assembling the launch vehicle.


Assembly and command ship "Sea Launch Commander"

The SKS also performs the functions of the control center during the preparation and launch of the launch vehicle. The SCS houses the flight control command post for the upper stage and means for receiving and processing telemetry measurements. SKS characteristics: length 203 m, width 32 m, height 50 m, displacement 27 thousand tons, maximum speed 21 knots.


Google Earth satellite image: Sea Launch complex at the Long Beach parking lot

The floating cosmodrome "Sea Launch" uses launch vehicles: "Zenit-2S" and "Zenit-3SL" of the middle class, with a launch weight of up to 470,800 kg.

Zenit, unlike many domestic launch vehicles, does not use toxic hydrazine and an aggressive oxidizing agent. Kerosene is used as fuel, and oxygen serves as the oxidizer, which makes the rocket environmentally friendly. In total, from March 27, 1999, to February 1, 2013, 35 launches were carried out from the floating platform.

The starting point is the Pacific Ocean with coordinates 0°00′ N. 154°00′W d., near Christmas Island. According to statistics collected over 150 years, this section of the Pacific Ocean is considered by experts to be the calmest and most remote from sea routes. However, a couple of times already difficult weather conditions forced us to postpone the launch by several days.

Unfortunately, the Sea Launch program is currently experiencing serious financial difficulties, bankruptcy has been declared and the future is uncertain. According to the Kommersant publication, the losses were caused by the fact that it was not possible to ensure the planned intensity of launches: initially it was planned to carry out 2-3 consecutive launches in one exit to the starting position. The low reliability of the Zenit launch vehicle also played a negative role; out of 80 launches of Zenit launch vehicles, 12 ended in accidents.

The head of the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia, Vitaly Lopota, proposed transferring control over the Sea Launch project to the state. And carry out launches from it within the framework of the Federal Space Program. However, the government of the Russian Federation does not see the need for this.

Business representatives from a number of countries - China, Australia, and the USA - are showing interest in Sea Launch. There is interest from large companies such as Lockheed Martin. If Russia wanted, it could become the owner of this unique complex, making its base the ports of Sovetskaya Gavan, Nakhodka or Vladivostok.

Based on materials:
http://geimint.blogspot.ru/2007/07/fire-from-space.html
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmodrome
http://georg071941.ru/kosmodromyi-ssha
http://www.walkinspace.ru/blog/2010-12-22-588
http://sea-launch.narod.ru/2013.htm
All satellite images courtesy of Google Earth

The head of the S7 Group (which includes Siberia Airlines) Vladislav Filev announced the purchase of the Sea Launch floating cosmodrome, located in the Pacific Ocean. “I will be the first in space,” Vladislav Filev said at a press conference dedicated to the purchase. Where such confidence? Sea Launch has not been operational since 2014; it is unclear which rockets to launch with...

RSC Energia and the Russian side seemed to be crawling away from the project, Boeing is in debt for it, Russia managed to build the Vostochny cosmodrome during this time, and where did S7 get the money for this? What is “Russian Elon Musk” up to, as Western journalists hastened to call Mr. Filev? We will definitely try to find out in subsequent publications how justified such a comparison is.

The Sea Launch cosmodrome appeared near Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean in 1995. It allows you to launch rockets directly from the equator, which means that you can use the energy of the Earth’s rotation as efficiently as possible when launching carriers. In total, 36 launches were carried out from the floating platform, 32 of which were successful! However, then problems began.

Initially, the project was international - 40% of the shares of the management company belonged to Boeing, 25% to the Russian Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia), 5 and 10%, respectively, to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and the Yuzhmash Production Association (Ukraine) . Another 20% of the shares were owned by the Norwegian shipbuilding company Aker Kværner (now Aker Solutions). Several years ago, during the bankruptcy procedure, the stake was redistributed. RSC Energia now owns 95%, Boeing – 3%, Aker Solutions – 2%. Roscosmos has been negotiating the sale of Sea Launch since 2014, including with the USA, UAE, China and Australia. However, they did not want to buy the spaceport. As a result, six months ago it became known that S7 was interested in the project. As part of the transaction, the company will become the owner of the Sea Launch Commander ship and the Odyssey platform, where the missile segment equipment is installed, as well as ground equipment at the Long Beach base port (USA) and the Sea Launch trademark.

But I just want to ask: why is all this being done? According to S7 reporting for 2015, its total volume of loans, borrowings and other debt amounted to 26.2 billion rubles. High leverage is a common situation for airlines. There is a version that Filev bought Sea Launch for the benefit of the state and will soon receive state guarantees for loans or cash funds from the budget. But even if he bought it with his own money, an important question remains: why does Russia need a fifth cosmodrome? After all, it will either begin to compete with the existing ones (and then it would be reasonable for the state to ask not to buy Sea Launch, since it would bring down orders for the fresh Vostochny one), or the state admitted that the new cosmodrome is ineffective and a cheaper site is needed. It looks more like it was found new technology withdrawal of funds from the budget in large pieces– otherwise how can we explain that our country will soon have another cosmodrome at its disposal? Let's count - Baikonur is still leased for many years, Vostochny is about to be launched, Plesetsk is in the Arkhangelsk region, and there is also the Kapustin Yar training ground in the Astrakhan region, the unfinished Svobodny in the Amur region, which Our Version previously wrote about, and an exclusively military launch site base-cosmodrome Yasny in the Orenburg region. Why do we need another one at the equator with a deficit budget, does anyone know?

Missile shortage

The new owner has grandiose plans for Sea Launch. But a problem arises: Sea Launch was originally created to launch rockets of the Zenit-3SL modification, which were produced at the Ukrainian enterprise Yuzhmash. However, for economic reasons, Yuzhmash has not produced Zenits for more than two years. The company cannot even produce the only Zenit to launch the newest Ukrainian communications satellite, although the satellite itself has long been ready. The company does not have money to buy components in Russia.

No less important than the economy is the political moment. Key elements for the Zenit, in particular the propulsion engines, were supplied by Roscosmos. And as soon as engine supplies stopped, Zenit production stopped. Therefore, even if the S7 management agrees on all issues with Yuzhmash, these agreements will mean little. The transfer to Ukraine of such high-tech products as the Zenit RD-171 engine seems almost impossible under current conditions.

“We are ready to work on this issue with Ukrainian colleagues and carry out launches based on the Zenit rocket, while at the same time we are exploring other options, including the creation of a new rocket taking into account modern technologies,” said Vladimir Filev.

REFERENCE

The S7 group is 100% owned by the Filev family - Natalya and Vladislav. S7 includes the following companies: S7 Airlines, S7 Tour, S7 Ticket, S7 Travel Retail, S7 Service, S7 Training, S7 Cargo, Sibir Technics, S7 Engineering and others.

"IN last years“We do not maintain relations with Yuzhmash and do not have reliable information about what is happening there now,” admitted the head of RSC Energia, Vladimir Solntsev. – A replacement for the Ukrainian Zenit missile can be created within five years. This will require additional extra-budgetary funding for the project from the Sea Launch investor, the S7 consortium, which does not exclude participation in the development of a new rocket. We are ready to speed up the creation of the rocket if the Sea Launch investor shows interest and considers it appropriate to support this approach.”

The Energia Rocket and Space Corporation has already announced that it is ready to accelerate the development of the new Sunkar rocket for use at a floating cosmodrome. However, funding for the creation of the Sunkar rocket is planned only for 2020.

Roscosmos is happy with the deal

The head of Roscosmos, Igor Komarov, could probably clarify the numerous questions that arise in connection with the news about Sea Launch’s transition to Russian registration. His appearance was expected at a press conference, but he never appeared in front of reporters. It turns out that at that time the head of Roscosmos was visiting Vladimir Putin, where he was telling the president about the signing of the Sea Launch contract with the S7 company.

Igor Komarov probably had something to rejoice at - Vladimir Filev’s agreement to enter the project would cover a significant part of Energia’s losses. And this is no less than 19 billion rubles that Energia has left from working with Sea Launch.

“RSC Energia and I will do a project together. In airlines this is called "airline sharing". We will earn money together,” Mr. Filev said optimistically. – The S7 company expects to spend 1.6 billion rubles annually on launches from the Sea Launch cosmodrome. The launch of one satellite costs 250 million plus the launch costs 70 million. Obviously, I can’t take 1.6 billion a year (every year) out of my pocket. The company plans to attract partners. Management will be private-public..."

The head of S7 is confident that the platform resource will be enough for another 90 launches. Then it will need modernization, after which it will make 6 launches per year for 15 years. The world's largest telecommunications companies are interested in commercial launches from Sea Launch. With proper and precise management, these launches can bring in 30 billion dollars a year! One can only be surprised that RSC Energia found itself in such a severe disadvantage. But will Mr. Filev cope with this difficult task?

The person of the new owner of the cosmodrome, Mr. Filev, also raises questions. S7 has numerous skeletons in its closets - the list of accidents with Siberia Airlines aircraft is more than impressive... The Russian media did not write about the emergency in the skies over Switzerland in January 2002, because the story, apparently, was carefully hushed up with the help a long-time friend of Mr. Filev, Alexander Neradko, who at that time held the post of First Deputy Minister of Transport. What happened? The Siberia Airlines Tu-204 Geneva-Moscow plane was taking off when the cabin suddenly depressurized. At the same time, there was no one on board the plane oxygen masks. The passengers began to choke. Fortunately, they managed to land the plane.

The governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, also complained about the work of Siberia Airlines. He even sent a telegram to the Minister of Transport, asking him to take measures to ensure flight safety. Tuleyev noted that the company uses foreign-made aircraft with a significant service life. Also, the airline has been repeatedly accused of insufficient attention to the training of flight crews and a constant desire to save money. Will the love of saving affect space launches?

Energia Overseas Limited (EOL) is a subsidiary of the Russian corporation Energia, owns 95% of the shares of the Sea Launch consortium, Boeing - 3% and Aker Solutions - 2%.

As paradoxical as it may sound, the idea of ​​a “sea launch” was returned to when a great power crumbled into large and small states. The collapse of the economy and chronic lack of funds resulted in the cessation of funding for many government programs. The emerging situation prompted the search for new customers on a fundamentally new basis of cooperation - the creation of corporations with foreign partners and, first of all, with the United States of America. At one of the meetings in the USA CEO rocket and space concern "Energia" (at that time - scientific and production association "Energia"), Yu.P. Semenov took the initiative for the American side - to consider the possibility of implementing a "sea launch". Negotiations were conducted with the famous aviation company Boeing, which sought to gain its position in space.

The Americans were very concerned about the current situation in the world space market, where most of the orders were captured by the French company Aerospatiale, which launches satellites using the Ariane carrier from a cosmodrome located on the equator, in New Guinea. US missiles were not able to compete with French ones, so the Americans, trying to occupy active position, supported this idea. When choosing a launch vehicle for launching satellites, the customer takes into account the following determining factors: price, reliability and level of service. It is the combination of these indicators that is most fully ensured on the Ariane rocket, which explains its impressive success on the international commercial market. Profit in business space launches inevitably generates intense competition. To win this competition, the other media's price, reliability, and level of technical sophistication must be superior to the competitor's. The opinion of practical Americans was clear. They believed that in order to quickly implement a “sea launch” and, accordingly, enter the world space market, the bet should be placed on existing launch vehicles that had been brought up to standard. Therefore, the idea of ​​​​creating a new carrier for the “sea launch” was immediately rejected and was never returned to.


The conditions of fierce competition required the fastest way out to the global space market. But the creation of a new rocket and equipment for it is a long, multi-year process with huge financial costs. And the most important argument: in order for a customer to entrust the launch of his “payload” to a new rocket, it must have international authority. By choosing from a number of well-known launch vehicles, the project developers also determine the complex of ground equipment intended for it. The Americans did not have their own missiles that would fully meet the requirements. A thorough study of the energy and environmental characteristics of existing missiles, taking into account their maturity, showed that... All roads lead to Ukraine! As a result, we came to an unequivocal conclusion: of all the missiles existing in the world, there is no alternative to Zenit in the Sea Launch project! It is this missile from the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau that most fully satisfies all the requirements.
As a result of the negotiations, on July 28, 1993, the “minutes of the meeting” were signed working group NPO Energia, NPO Yuzhnoye (Ukraine) and Boeing Corporation (USA) to study the possibility of launching spacecraft from sea-based launch devices." This official document confirmed the agreement of the parties to carry out Sea Launch based on the Zenit rocket 2". This blessing marked the beginning of the design.


These partners were joined by the Norwegian company Kvarner Maritime, which “very opportunely” built a giant floating catamaran-type platform for oil production from seabed. It turned out to be quite suitable for implementing spacecraft launches.

An international joint venture - the sea launch company - for the implementation of the project of the same name was legally formalized in April 1995. Its co-founders were the world famous American aviation company Boeing Commercial Space (Seattle, USA, 40% of the authorized capital), the rocket and space corporation Energia (Korolev, Russia, 25%), the Kvarner Maritime company (Oslo, Norway, 20%), state design bureau "Yuzhnoye" and production association "Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant" (Ukraine, 15%, including UMZ - 10% and GKBU - 5% of shares of the authorized capital). At the same time, the spheres of influence of the project participants were distributed, which determined the division scheme and structure of the complex, and also provided for the responsibility of each of the partners.


In the maritime segment (this term, legalized in specialist circles, defines the totality of sea vessels included in the sea launch system), for the first time, means unusual for rocket and space technology were envisaged. The floating spaceport consists of two unique offshore structures: an assembly and command vessel and a self-propelled semi-submersible launch platform. Comparing the infrastructures of the “sea launch” and the “buoyancy” project, it is easy to discover that the main ideas underlying modern project(a self-propelled semi-submersible catamaran-type launch platform and a vessel that provides preparation, preparation control and launch of the rocket) were anticipated in proposals already distant 1980. Here are the main provisions of the concept underlying the “sea launch”: an affordable, reliable new generation launch vehicle; modern, easy-to-use preparation of spacecraft payload; launching payloads into orbits of all inclinations from one launch platform; automated preparation for launch of a launch vehicle; placement of coastal facilities and service facilities of a base port on the Pacific coast of the United States.


The basis of the rocket segment was a modified two-stage Zenit-2 launch vehicle, adapted to sea conditions, in combination with an upper stage and a payload block.

The design documentation for the “sea launch” was produced rather hastily: the customer did not give much time. Thus, in the memorable year 1993, when Russia was rocked by political upheavals, the foundations for future international cooperation were laid.

The creation of each new missile system always requires significant efforts of many teams with the mandatory involvement large quantity multidisciplinary specialists. The new project was no exception, but it has a fundamental difference that radically changes the situation: specialists from four countries on two continents were brought in to implement the plan! and these are representatives of countries with different political systems, economies, cultures, financial capabilities, with people speaking different languages... One side is trying to learn the basics of a completely new Russian language. Another calls on the acquired vocabulary of the institute's English program to help. As communication experience showed, these “memories” were not enough even to understand the simplest information. At first, there was no question of full-fledged communication. But time takes its toll. Gradually, knowledge is accumulated, and the necessary phrases begin to form in the head, which undoubtedly facilitates communication, indicating clear “linguistic” progress. At first, technical terms, many of which are international, also help out.

The language barrier is a serious obstacle. In addition, the differences in engineering schools also had an impact. Each has its own approaches to solving technical problems, its own rules for maintaining and preparing technical documentation. Therefore, the development of the project began with the establishment of partner contacts - both professional and purely human.
The Americans, without hesitation, studied and comprehended the “style” of the previously little-known rocket technology of Ukraine and Russia. The other side also showed mutual interest, learning, first of all, the system of attitude to the matter. And the fruits of such mutually interested cooperation were not long in coming.


From this moment on, control of pre-launch operations and the launch of the rocket itself is carried out via a radio channel from the assembly and command ship in the complete absence of people on the launch platform. This guarantees the safety of personnel involved in the launch in the event of any emergency situation. "Zenit-2s" is equipped with the most modern control system, built on the basis of a highly reliable on-board digital computer, which during the flight itself determines the position of the rocket in space at each time interval and selects the optimal trajectory for further flight and the strategy of flight operations. And the perfect software and algorithmic support of the on-board computer allows you to launch the spacecraft into a given orbit from high degree accuracy. All the mentioned qualities of the Zenit-2s do not allow today any launch vehicle in the world to compete with it under sea launch conditions. The decisive circumstances when choosing a launch vehicle for the Sea Launch program include the readiness of a developed industrial base capable of ensuring the production of rockets in quantities sufficient for the commercial success of the program. The missiles are manufactured at the Southern Machine-Building Plant (Dnepropetrovsk) with the direct participation of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation of suppliers of materials and component systems (first stage propulsion engine, control system, etc.).


The Energia Rocket and Space Corporation developed and manufactured the DM-SL upper stage for the Sea Launch project, with the help of which the spacecraft is launched into the target low-Earth orbit. At the same time, according to the existing conditions of cooperation, it is responsible for the “ground” equipment of the missile segment installed on the launch platform and the assembly and command vessel. The fuel components for the upper stage are, as for the first two stages, kerosene and liquid oxygen, the combustion products of which are water and carbon dioxide. When creating technological equipment for preparing and launching a rocket from the launch platform, the basis was taken on a complex designed for launching a Zenit from the Baikonur cosmodrome. A characteristic feature of this equipment is that all operations for the pre-launch preparation of the rocket, from its removal from the hangar to refueling and launch, are carried out automatically, without human presence. In the "sea launch" project, all automatic operations, starting with refueling, are carried out remotely - from the assembly and command vessel.
Secrets “under lock and key” The largest supplier of aviation equipment in the United States, the Boeing company, has invested the largest amount of money in the “sea launch” project. Therefore, she took on the responsibility of providing marketing and integration of the entire project, designing the compartment, which, together with the satellite launched into orbit, is called the “payload block”, as well as organizing and constructing the onshore complex in the port of Long Beach, located in the southwest of the United States. in the state of California. The design of the payload compartment meets not only technical feasibility, but also the requirement to maintain secrecy regarding the object placed inside. Here, as they say, “friendship is friendship, but pies are separate.” Therefore, only the Boeing company, as the developer of the payload compartment, carries out all contacts with the creators of the equipment. The American side has put a strict barrier against the possibility of leaking information about the technologies used. The payload compartment is designed on the principle of a sealed capsule, the assembly of which, with the satellite installed inside, takes place in a highly clean chamber. You can “see” the satellite only after dropping the aerodynamic fairing. But this happens when leaving the dense layers of the atmosphere, when the combination of air rarefaction and flight speed fall within certain limits. And these are altitudes of about 90 - 100 kilometers.


To assemble the capsule, it was necessary to create a special assembly and testing building. The finished block, removed from it, is reliably protected not only from dirt, but also from the eyes of outside observers. This completely autonomous object is installed on the frame of the DM-SL upper stage, which had to be modified to ensure docking conditions.

The creation of a special capsule caused the appearance of additional structural elements - a transition compartment and a diaphragm, which increased the mass of the passive structure to 800 kilograms. This is the price to pay for a “safe-conduct” for American technological and design secrets.
What can Zenit-3sl do? So, through the efforts of the state design bureau Yuzhnoye, the rocket and space concern Energia and the Boeing company, a project is being implemented to use the Zenit-3sl launch vehicle. Its main characteristics are impressive. The total length is 60 meters, the diameter of the first and second stages is 3.9 meters, the upper stage is 3.7 meters, and the payload block is 4.15 meters. The launch weight of the Zenit-3sl - 470.3 tons - is distributed among the blocks as follows: the Zenit-2s launch vehicle - 444.4 tons, the DM-sl upper stage - 10.6 tons, the payload block - 7, 3 tons. "Zenit-3sl" allows you to solve a wide range of space problems. Launching from a floating platform, it can launch a spacecraft, depending on its mass, into various orbits: geostationary orbit - up to 1.9 tons, transfer to geostationary orbit - up to 5.3 tons, medium circular orbits with an altitude of up to 10 thousand kilometers with inclinations up to 45 degrees - up to 3.9 tons.


Floating spaceport Kvarner Maritime is a well-known manufacturer of offshore vessels and floating platforms for the oil industry. In the Sea Launch project, she is responsible for the creation of a floating cosmodrome, consisting of two unique vessels: a sea launch commander and a self-propelled self-submersible launch platform "Odyssey".

The assembly and command ship is a fundamentally new, specially designed ship, which in the home port serves as a workshop with powerful overhead cranes. It was here that two Zenit-2s missiles and two DM-SL upper stages found a “shelter” in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, rocket stages and upper stages arriving from Ukraine, as well as a payload block from America, were reloaded here. The length of the assembled rocket - 60 meters - speaks of the scale of the ship's assembly shop.
In the ocean, in the launch area, the assembly and command vessel (ACS) carries out remote control of the preparation of the launch vehicle and upper stage for launch, control of the launch and processing of telemetric information received while moving along the trajectory. At the same time, the SCS serves as a location for specialists servicing rocket and space technology at all stages of work in the launch area, as well as customer representatives. The vessel can accommodate 240 people. There are recreational facilities, food and medical services. The dimensions of the vessel are impressive: length - 201 meters, maximum width about 32 meters, displacement - 34 thousand tons, speed - up to 16 knots, draft - 8 meters. The assembly and command ship was built at the Scottish shipyard Govan (Glasgow, UK).


Its retrofitting with special equipment for assembling launch vehicles and launch control was carried out in St. Petersburg.

The Odyssey launch platform is the world's largest semi-submersible self-propelled vessel, created on the basis of an offshore drilling platform. To transport the assembled launch vehicle with the payload block from the home port, a hangar is provided, equipped with a special air conditioning system. The operation of removing the rocket from the hangar and installing it in a vertical position is carried out by a special mobile conveyor-installer. Special rooms are equipped for storing fuel components (kerosene and liquid oxygen). The process of refueling with fuel components and all pre-launch operations are carried out remotely, and in combination with the automatic start process, they allow all work to be carried out without the presence of people on board the platform. The launch platform can accommodate 68 people - the crew and specialists servicing the launch. For this purpose, living quarters, a dining room and a medical center are provided. The launch platform has respectable dimensions: the length of the vessel is 133 meters, and the maximum width is 67 meters. Water measurement during movement is 30 thousand tons, in a semi-submerged state - 50,600 tons, respectively, draft - 7.5 meters and 21.5 meters. The launch platform was built at the Rosenberger shipyard (Stavanger, Norway).

All equipment associated with the rocket launch was manufactured in Russia and installed on the launch platform in the city of Vyborg.
From Europe to America for the first launch under the Sea Launch program, two Zenit-2s rockets from Dnepropetrovsk and two DM-SL upper stages from Korolev near Moscow were delivered to St. Petersburg by rail. Subsequently, all components of the Zenit-3sl rocket and space launch vehicle, starting with the third copy, will be transported to the location of the command ship and launch platform by ordinary rail transport to the Ukrainian port of Oktyabrsk (Nikolaev). Further route: Black Sea - Mediterranean Sea - Gibraltar - Atlantic Ocean- Panama Canal - Pacific Ocean - Long Beach. For these purposes, a special vessel “kondok-iv” is chartered from a Finnish company. On June 12, 1998, an assembly and command ship with missiles on board left St. Petersburg under its own power. A little later, the launch platform from Vyborg also set off. They walked from Europe to America to the port of destination, each along their own route. The route of the assembly and command ship ran through the Panama Canal, and then along the coast of North America. The Odyssey launch platform sailed through Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean, Singapore and finally the Pacific Ocean - almost circumnavigating the world. The fact is that the platform is more than twice as wide as the assembly and command ship, and this did not allow it to reach Los Angeles through the narrow Panama Canal.


On July 13, 1998, in Long Beach, representatives of the Sea Launch company greeted the long-awaited assembly and command ship with two Zenit launch vehicles that had arrived along difficult ocean roads. On October 4 of the same year, a slower launch platform appeared in the roadstead (its speed was up to 16 knots).

This was the second visit of Dnepropetrovsk rockets to the Western Hemisphere. And although in both cases this is the brainchild of the same “parents” - the Yuzhnoe design bureau and the Yuzhnoe Machine-Building Plant production association, what a difference there is between them! back in 1962, to conduct a top-secret military operation codenamed “Anadyr”, from September 9 to October 22, 1962, 24 ships arrived in Cuba, in the holds of which there were 42 R-12 and R-14 missiles from the Yuzhnoye design bureau. The missiles were unloaded only at night, in conditions of complete darkness of the ships and berths. During these operations, the external approaches to the ports were guarded by a specially designated mountain rifle battalion consisting of 300 people. The idea of ​​​​placing Soviet missiles on Cuba belonged personally to Nikita Khrushchev. The motives for such a daring operation were to strengthen the defense capabilities of Fidel Castro’s regime and prevent aggression from the United States of America, which, according to the head of the Soviet government, was inevitable. However, the Americans did not sleep and, with the help of aerial reconnaissance, learned about the deployment of Soviet missile systems under their very noses. The ever-memorable Caribbean crisis broke out. The world was on the brink of nuclear war. But reason and a sense of responsibility to humanity triumphed. At the end of October 1962, based on a decision of the Soviet government, the dismantling of the launch positions began, and the missile division stationed on the island received an order to urgently return to Soviet Union. This time, in July 1998, a ship with Dnepropetrovsk missiles carried out a peaceful, friendly mission - its arrival marked the beginning of the final stage of international cooperation. But even in this case there were political problems.
Unexpectedly, a report appeared in the press that the Boeing company, in the process of contacts, allegedly shared with foreign partners some secret technologies without receiving appropriate permission from the US State Department. The entrance to the ships' home port was closed. The accusation brought forward was worth the loss of about three months of “languishing in empty inaction” of ships in the roadstead. Only in early October was permission finally given to carry out work to prepare the rocket for launch.


The first launch after the “veto” was lifted, the decisive stage of pre-launch operations began, determined by the conditions of the first launch. There were pneumatic and electrical tests of the rocket, ground systems, and tests of the docking of the upper stage and payload block. Finally, the fully assembled rocket was loaded onto the launch platform using onboard cranes, placed in a hangar, and the ships set off for a fifty-mile zone to conduct comprehensive joint tests of all systems in open sea conditions. Filling fuel tanks with fuel components was also practiced. The rocket was installed in a vertical position, after which a test refueling with oxygen and kerosene was carried out first separately and then in a complex manner. On March 12, 1999, the launch platform arrived in the designated area of ​​the Pacific Ocean. On March 13, the assembly and command ship sailed there, calling at Christmas Island, where a spare container of the control system was loaded on board. On March 25, it arrived at the starting point. The technological cycle provides that preparation for launch takes two days, the third is the launch day. On the first day, the readiness of the launch platform equipment and all systems after the trip is checked and the launch platform is immersed. The second day begins with the removal of the rocket. In parallel, electrical tests are once again carried out.

The launch platform was brought into a working semi-submerged state by sinking its pontoons and columns. The advantages of a semi-submersible type platform are, first of all, that in the working position it is possible to significantly reduce rolling from the influence of sea waves. And this is very important for a successful start. The decisive moment comes: the rocket is taken out of the hangar and installed in a vertical - "working" - position. Afterwards, a full check of all its systems is carried out. This operation ends the work of the crew and maintenance personnel on board the launch platform and they must be evacuated to the assembly and command ship (ACS) along a special ladder transferred between the ships. Then the SKS moves away from the launch platform to a distance of five kilometers. Following a command from the launch control center, the launch vehicle and upper stage are refueled with propellant components. This process occurs automatically using remotely controlled equipment. After refueling is completed, the automatic preparation and launch system of the rocket is activated.
Start! - and the rocket takes off on its historic flight.


The flight of a launch vehicle and a typical scheme for launching a spacecraft into a target orbit include a number of sequential operations. The first is Zenit launching a spacecraft into an intermediate orbit. The further transition of the device to geostationary orbit is carried out through the use of its propulsion system. After the device is separated from the accelerating block, further control of it is transferred to the customer.

The duration of the operations is about one hour. The first launch was essentially a test launch. Its goal is to prove the operability and reliability of all systems of the Zenit-3sl launch vehicle. As a result of the first launch, a simulator of the Demosat spacecraft weighing 4550 kilograms was launched into the target calculated orbit.
The parameters of this orbit were: inclination - 1.25 degrees, altitude at perigee - 655 km, altitude at apogee - 36011 km.


The international consortium Sea Launch was organized in 1995. It included:

  • subsidiary of the American aerospace corporation Boeing (40%),
  • Russian rocket and space corporation "Energia" (25%),
  • Norwegian shipbuilding company Aker Solutions (20%),
  • Ukrainian enterprises "Yuzhnoye" and "Yuzhmash" (15%).
However, in 2008 the project began to experience financial difficulties. They even wanted to close it as not profitable and did not use it for a long time.


The S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia and Roscosmos were determined to breathe new life into the Sea Launch project.
According to Vladimir Popovkin, who spoke in February 2012, Roscosmos together with RSC Energia are preparing a business plan to restore the profitability of this project.
“After a break, when Sea Launch had financial problems, RSC Energia essentially bought this floating platform for launches from the ocean from Boeing through its affiliated structure. Now, together with RSC Energia, we are preparing a business plan for In order for Sea Launch to become profitable, we need to provide 3-4 launches per year for the next 2 years,” Popovkin said.
The Sea Launch project uses Ukrainian Zenit launch vehicles (produced by the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau) and Russian DM upper stages (produced by RSC Energia) and launches from the Odyssey floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.
The penultimate launch under the Sea Launch program was carried out on September 25, 2011. Then the Zenit-3SL launch vehicle with the DM-SL upper stage launched the European communications satellite Atlantic Bird 7 into orbit.


The board of directors of the international consortium Sea Launch Company (SLC) has decided to give the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia the “main role” in the Sea Launch project, reports RSC head Vitaly Lopota.

“In February of this year, the Sea Launch partners met together. The Board of Directors decided to give Energia the main role in Sea Launch,” Lopota said.

On June 22, 2009, SLC announced bankruptcy and financial reorganization. According to the company's statement, its assets range from $100 million to $500 million and debts range from $500 million to $1 billion.

At the end of July 2010, by court decision, Energia Overseas Limited (EOL), being subsidiary company Energia Corporation received 95% of the shares of the Sea Launch consortium, Boeing - 3% and Aker Solutions - 2%.
To date, under the Sea Launch program, more than 30 launches of Zenit-3SL launch vehicles have been carried out from a mobile launch platform in the Pacific Ocean, of which two were accidents, and another was partially successful.

  • Cosmonautics,
  • Physics

    • This week, news about the Russian space industry considering the idea of ​​using the Angara A-5 launch vehicle to replace the Zenit-3SL on the Sea Launch project went unnoticed. They reflected the difficult process of discussing an idea. The first reports were that this idea was being discussed. Then information appeared that the general designer of the Angara stated that this idea was inappropriate. There has been no news about the final decision yet; let’s try to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of this idea ourselves.

    Background

    The Sea Launch project began by today's standards a long time ago - in 1993. The idea was to put a Zenit launch vehicle on an offshore platform and launch satellites into geostationary orbit from the equator. The benefits were tempting:
    • Starting from the equator gives the maximum free increment of linear speed. The earth rotates with angular velocity 1 revolution per day, but the linear speed of rotation is minimum at the poles and maximum at the equator. As much as 465 m/s is added free of charge to the rocket's speed if launched at the equator in an easterly direction.
    • Zero latitude of the equator means there are no losses due to changes in orbital inclination. When launching from Earth, the initial inclination of the orbit is equal to the latitude of the cosmodrome. And for a geostationary orbit you need zero inclination. Therefore, when launching, for example, from Cape Canaveral, it is necessary to spend fuel to correct the initial inclination of 28.5°. And when launching from Baikonur, it is necessary to correct as much as 51.6° of the initial orbital inclination.
    • The Zenit launch vehicle was developed in the USSR with an emphasis on maximum automation of the processes of preparation for launch and the launch itself. Therefore, there were no major technical difficulties in launching it from an offshore platform, on which not a single person remained at the time of launch.
    In 1999, a test size-and-weight prototype of the satellite was launched from Sea Launch; by 2006, the number of launches increased to 6 per year. After 2007 accident launches were stopped for a year, but five launches took place in 2008. In 2009, the company declared bankruptcy. Obviously, despite the fairly high launch activity, there were some problems in the economic part of the project. As a result, after all the legal proceedings, in 2010, Energia Overseas Limited, a subsidiary of RSC Energia, received 95% of the shares of Sea Launch. After bankruptcy, launch activity decreased, the maximum achievement being 3 satellites launched in 2012. And the accident in February 2013 stopped launches for more than a year.

    The present

    The Zenit launch vehicle is a good rocket, but it is fatally unlucky. It was developed as a new middle-class launch vehicle and could replace the Soyuz family of launch vehicles, including for manned launches, but the USSR collapsed, and there could be no talk of a fundamental modernization of the rocket fleet in the 90s. The collapse of the Soviet cooperation system led to the fact that factories making one rocket ended up in different countries and began to depend on the political relations between them. The second, I’m afraid, final blow to this missile was dealt by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Regardless of its results, the launch vehicle, the engines of which are manufactured in Russia and the tanks in Ukraine, has no future. In the short term, it will definitely not be produced, and in the long term, the technologies and equipment will be frozen and lost, at best, partially. And the fact that Sea Launch’s base is located in California further worsens the project’s position in the context of cooling Russian-American relations.

    A combination of economic and political problems meant that I expected news of the project's eventual closure. That is why the news about the possible replacement of the launch vehicle with the Angara seemed so important to me - this is probably the only chance to revive such an engineering beautiful project as Sea Launch. Also arises here interest Ask- “Angara A-5” is a noticeably heavier and lifting rocket than “Zenith”. Let's try to calculate how many tons it can launch into geostationary orbit?

    Such a different GPO

    Before starting the calculations, it is necessary to briefly talk about what methods of insertion into geostationary orbit exist. main feature geostationary orbit consists of gravitational disturbances of the Moon. The satellite must have its own engines and fuel reserves to remain in the desired position. Therefore, in addition to direct launch, when a satellite is launched by a launch vehicle (sometimes using an upper stage) directly into the target orbit, there are so-called geotransfer orbits. In this case, the upper stage completes its work in a highly elliptical orbit, and the satellite reaches its stationary point in geostationary orbit independently.

    Further, if the final parameters of the geostationary orbit are known (apogee 35786 km, perigee 35786 km, inclination 0°), then the initial inclination is different for all cosmodromes. Therefore, the parameters of the geotransfer orbit are different for different countries. In more detail, and briefly, geotransfer orbits are divided into:

    • Conditional “American” (185x35786 km, 27°) with delta-V for transition to GEO 1804 m/s and similar Chinese and Japanese
    • Conditional “European” (200x35786 km, 7°) with delta-V for transition to GSO 1500 m/s.
    In the USSR, direct injection into geostationary orbit by an upper stage was used. Russia's entry into the commercial satellite launch market meant the need to adapt to already established standards. The “Baikonur” geotransfer orbit (200x35786 km, 51.6°) requires an acceleration of 2430 m/s to launch the satellite into GEO, which would require modification of existing satellite platforms and would reduce competitiveness. Therefore, our upper stages launch satellites into a special transfer orbit, the parameters of which are very different from “regular” GPOs, but delta-V requires “American” or “European”:

    In the case of launching a satellite from Sea Launch, the geotransfer orbit of 200x25786 km, 0° requires 1477 m/s for additional launch to GEO.

    Calculations

    According to the impulse for deorbiting 200x200 km, 0° at GPO 200x35786 km, 0° is 2454 m/s. To move from GPO to GSO you will need more 1477 m/s, and the total delta-V for going directly to GSO will be 3931 m/s. In the case of using the Angara, the Briz-M or the currently developed KVTK can be used as an upper stage. The masses of empty and full blocks and the specific impulse of the engines are known, so we can calculate the payload using the Tsiolkovsky formula:


    Where:

    • V - final speed (in this case, delta-V)
    • I - specific impulse (in m/s)
    • M 1 - initial mass
    • M 2 - final mass
    Transforming, we get:

    We know M 1 - “Angara A-5” launches 24.5 tons into low Earth orbit. This is an assumption for simplicity of calculations - in reality, injection into an open orbit with additional injection by an upper stage is used. Also, don’t forget to subtract the mass of the empty upper stage from M 2 .

    As a result of calculations we get:

    The conclusion is obvious - the Angara from Sea Launch will be able to launch one and a half times more than the Zenit, and with the promising oxygen-hydrogen unit KVTK, twice as much.

    Pros and cons

    At the same time, one should not think that there are no arguments for closing Sea Launch. If you made a list of pros and cons, it would look something like this:
    Arguments for adapting “Angara” to “Sea Launch”:
    1. Replacing the launch vehicle will make it possible to continue the project.
    2. Angara will be able to launch two to three times more satellites per launch than Zenit, increasing revenue from commercial launches.
    3. The larger the series of launch vehicles, the cheaper they will cost. In addition, additional orders mean additional jobs in the high-tech industry.
    4. The more launch complexes the Angara has, the greater the flexibility of its tasks and the higher the likelihood of its further long and happy operation.
    5. The complex's ground base can theoretically be transferred from California, for example, to Brazil. In this case, commercial launches can be combined with cooperation with Brazil in its space program. For reference, Brazil is extremely unlucky with its space program - in 2003, a rocket they were developing exploded on the launch pad, killing people. And after abandoning the idea of ​​​​making a rocket on its own, Brazil decided to cooperate with Ukraine and launch the Cyclone-4 launch vehicle from the Alcantara cosmodrome. The first launch was originally planned for 2013, but today there is no news about the progress of work.
    Arguments for closing Sea Launch:
    1. Stopping a project means stopping spending on it. “The horse is dead - get off.”
    2. Adapting a new rocket to a launch complex already built for another rocket requires a lot of money and a lot of time. There are no factors that categorically prohibit the possibility of such an action, but are the high costs justified?
    3. The cost of launching the serial Angara is not yet known. If the rocket costs three times more than Zenit, then even with the launch of two satellites there will be no economic sense in the project.
    Unfortunately, the significance of these arguments rests on data that we do not have. So we, simple outside viewers, just have to follow the news - what will ultimately happen to Sea Launch?