The Sea Launch project, using Zenit rockets for launches from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean, has been sold, the head of the Roscosmos corporation, Igor Komarov has said."I cannot name the investor or disclose the value of the contract by virtue of certain circumstances. I do hope I will be able to say more by the end of April," Komarov replied to a question.
The Moscow Times: "Roscosmos Sells Troubled Commercial Space Company Sea Launch"http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/roscosmos-sells-troubled-commercial-space-company-sea-launch/564042.htmlQuoteRussia's space agency Roscosmos has found a buyer for a troubled commercial space project known as Sea Launch, the agency's director Igor Komarov was cited by the TASS news agency as saying on Wednesday.I cannot tell you who the investor is, or the value of the contract, due to certain obligations. I hope that we will have something to say about it by the end of April, Komarov said. He did, however, say that investors from the U.S., Australia, China and Europe have expressed interest in the project.Next Big Future: "Russia sells commercial space company Sea Launch"http://nextbigfuture.com/2016/03/russia-sells-commercial-space-company.htmlQuoteRussia sold the commercial space project known as Sea Launch. They would not say who the buyer was. ...Most likely the buyer was Boeing, because they hold a judgment against Russians for $365 million. In 2014, Sea launch faced procurement difficulties as relations between Russia and Ukraine collapsed in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Sea Launch is designed to work with Zenit rockets built in Ukraine, but some 70 percent of the components are Russian.There are two possible ways this can develop from now -- either the Zenit rocket will get re-motorized to RD-815 engine to become an all-Ukrainian vehicle or Russians will try to renew the existing sourcing scheme with RD-170. Either way Ukraine wins. Russian plans to shut off Ukraine from commercial space have failed.
Russia's space agency Roscosmos has found a buyer for a troubled commercial space project known as Sea Launch, the agency's director Igor Komarov was cited by the TASS news agency as saying on Wednesday.I cannot tell you who the investor is, or the value of the contract, due to certain obligations. I hope that we will have something to say about it by the end of April, Komarov said. He did, however, say that investors from the U.S., Australia, China and Europe have expressed interest in the project.
Russia sold the commercial space project known as Sea Launch. They would not say who the buyer was. ...Most likely the buyer was Boeing, because they hold a judgment against Russians for $365 million. In 2014, Sea launch faced procurement difficulties as relations between Russia and Ukraine collapsed in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Sea Launch is designed to work with Zenit rockets built in Ukraine, but some 70 percent of the components are Russian.There are two possible ways this can develop from now -- either the Zenit rocket will get re-motorized to RD-815 engine to become an all-Ukrainian vehicle or Russians will try to renew the existing sourcing scheme with RD-170. Either way Ukraine wins. Russian plans to shut off Ukraine from commercial space have failed.
Plenty more available if someone else wants to give it a try!http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3410415/The-oil-rig-graveyard-dozen-thousand-tonne-structures-parked-unused-Scottish-firth-market-swamped-cheap-crude-demand-drilling-drops.html
Sea Launch sold.http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/roscosmos-sells-troubled-commercial-space-company-sea-launch/564042.htmlAccording to this post, it seems Roscosmos has sold Sea Launch to Vladislav Filev of S7 Aircraft Group in Russia, but I couldn't find the referenced article.http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39181.msg1510558#msg1510558It seems Mr. Filev is the Richard Branson of Siberia.http://siberiantimes.com/business/opinion/features/f0173-i-once-lived-in-a-country-where-we-only-had-aeroflot-i-didnt-like-it/
There's a lesson to be learned here. No matter how great the idea is if the LV blows up constantly and there is never a real success the idea will fail.SL failed not because of the platform's or the idea, but because the Zenit booster constantly failed when flying from SL, IMO. Launch failures break you.
Quote from: FinalFrontier on 04/02/2016 09:10 amThere's a lesson to be learned here. No matter how great the idea is if the LV blows up constantly and there is never a real success the idea will fail.SL failed not because of the platform's or the idea, but because the Zenit booster constantly failed when flying from SL, IMO. Launch failures break you. "Blows up constantly" Really? 3 failures out of 36 launches, while not ULA or Ariane rates, is certainly not "blows up constantly". I think 33 customers would argue we achieved "real success".
3/12/2000 Zenit-3SL/DMSL POR ICO F-1 2nd stg control 7 min (prelaunch error) FTO 6/29/2004 Zenit-3SL/DMSL SL20 POR Apstar 5 3rd stg 2nd burn off 54s early (electrical)(EEO)1/30/2007 Zenit 3SL/DMSL SL16 POR NSS-8 (5.92t) RD-171 eng failed at T-0, turbopump FOD FTO2/1/2013 Zenit 3SL/DMSL SL48 POR Intelsat 27 RD-171M engine TVC failed, cut off 23 sec. FTO
Four failures in 36 flights. Apstar 5 had to make up the difference for the lower than planned insertion apogee (~21,000 km versus ~36,000 km).3/12/2000 Zenit-3SL/DMSL POR ICO F-1 2nd stg control 7 min (prelaunch error) FTO 6/29/2004 Zenit-3SL/DMSL SL20 POR Apstar 5 3rd stg 2nd burn off 54s early (electrical)(EEO)1/30/2007 Zenit 3SL/DMSL SL16 POR NSS-8 (5.92t) RD-171 eng failed at T-0, turbopump FOD FTO2/1/2013 Zenit 3SL/DMSL SL48 POR Intelsat 27 RD-171M engine TVC failed, cut off 23 sec. FTOIn my opinion, the end of Sea Launch was partly due to the failures, but mostly due to the simple fact that the enterprise lost money. Sea Launch only averaged 2.4 launches per year during its 16 year run. - Ed Kyle
Not perfect, but not a failure.