Author Topic: Sea/Land Launch schedule (Read 296156 times)

kq6ea · « **Reply #340 on:** 12/26/2014 01:33 am »

That would be more like the Launch Platform.

It has a thruster in the front of each pontoon, and one that looks like a ducted fan at the stern end of each pontoon.

kfsorensen · « **Reply #341 on:** 12/26/2014 03:40 am »

They should sell the launch platform to SpaceX, who could then use it to launch Falcon 9s to the ISS a few hundred miles off the west coast of the US. The southern launch azimuth to 51.6 degrees is clear over water all the way to Chile as I recall.

kq6ea · « **Reply #342 on:** 12/26/2014 04:01 am »

SpaceX has been to Home Port several times.

The only thing they were interested in was using the Payload Processing Facility.

To refit both ships for Falcon 9 launch duty would cost a LOT of money, most likely way more than Mr. Musk would be wiling to spend.

Nicolas PILLET · « **Reply #343 on:** 12/26/2014 12:02 pm »

I think it would be far less expensive to build a new launch platform from scratch, rather than adapting the existing one for another rocket !

Remind the mess for adapting Plesetsk's Zenit launch pad for Angara...

baldusi · « **Reply #344 on:** 12/26/2014 01:38 pm »

Yes, Zenit has a very complicated fully automatic launch operation. Besides, until SpaceX migrates to a GPS/TDRSS "range", they really can't do that. What would enable, is something like 5 tonnes to GTO from a Falcon 9 v.1.1. But at what cost? I'm pretty sure that SpaceX knows a thing or two about far away launch sites to optimize performance. You know... burned once.

kfsorensen · « **Reply #345 on:** 12/27/2014 01:06 am »

Well, both the Zenit and the Falcon 9 are all LOX/kerosene vehicles, of similar cross-sections and dimensions. Neither vehicle has solid strap-ons, so it doesn't seem like the conversion of the Sea Launch platform to Falcon 9 use should be so out-of-the-question as some of these comments seem to depict.

kq6ea · « **Reply #346 on:** 12/27/2014 03:58 am »

It gets into a bit more than just fuel and the approximate size of the two launch vehicles.

ALL the mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment on the Odyssey for moving, erecting, fueling, monitoring, and operating the rocket is Russian or Ukrainian built, and would have to be scrapped and replaced.

Same with the Commander, along with the large "Proton" antenna, the telemetry and command equipment, and all the support equipment for the Block-DM.

And those are just the things that I know about.

The only "American" equipment was the weather systems, everything concerned with the Payload Accommodation, the payload telemetry and command equipment, the photo stuff, the computer networking equipment, half the Launch Control Center, and several other systems that escape me now.

It would be a monumental task to switch both ships to a different launcher. Impossible? No, but very expensive. Keep in mind all this equipment is 15+ years old, has been operated in a marine environment for all that time, and has been sitting powered down for going on six months.

Prober · « **Reply #347 on:** 12/27/2014 03:10 pm »

Quote from: kq6ea on 12/26/2014 04:01 am

SpaceX has been to Home Port several times.

The only thing they were interested in was using the Payload Processing Facility.

To refit both ships for Falcon 9 launch duty would cost a LOT of money, most likely way more than Mr. Musk would be wiling to spend.

how can the company even try and sell?

the buyer would have to deal with the Russian government no?

can see some US Billionaire just go out there for the ship...it has a lot of special features.

baldusi · « **Reply #348 on:** 12/27/2014 08:21 pm »

Btw, does anyone know if the Falcon 9 can take the handling stresses of sea transfer, for example? If I had to bet on how to do a Falcon 9 sea launch platform, it would probably look a lot like a flat pad and the rocket would be integrated into a TEL in the hangar of the support ship, which then would be moved directly to the platform as a whole. And that's just the physical part.
GSE, range and all that would need to be new. I'm pretty sure that starting from the ground up would be cheaper and faster.

elvis · « **Reply #349 on:** 01/03/2015 04:11 am »

Handling stress not really a factor. Sea Launch performs all ILV movements in the harbor so it is basically a standard vertical pick. As kq6ea stated, the support equipment is where all the $$ is at. It would require a complete gut and rebuild of the comm and range systems and all the pad GSE. Probably easier to just start with a clean slate.

kq6ea · « **Reply #350 on:** 01/03/2015 04:56 am »

Yes, the idea of transferring an ILV "at sea" (at the launch site) was given up almost immediately.

Boeing had approached the administrators of Kiritimati about improving the port there, but the price quoted just to be allowed to do the work (fees, etc) was considered too high.

The Commander usually carried a complete rocket and Block-DM, but they were only used (rarely) for spare parts if there was a problem at the launch site.

Sam Ho · « **Reply #351 on:** 03/17/2015 07:39 pm »

Quote from: Kabloona on 03/17/2015 04:54 pm

Quote from: Jim on 03/17/2015 04:44 pm
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 03/17/2015 04:32 pm

Even if for free its still way too expensive to use.

I was referring the berth and the land facilities and not the two ships.

Ships may be going to South America.

http://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2015/03/09/new-rocket-new-location-two-possibilities-for-sea-launch-this-year/

Copied over from SpaceX section.

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #352 on:** 04/05/2015 06:30 am »

Looks like the last Sea Launch passenger is gone as the Russians are speaking of switching AngolaSat to the 2nd Angara-A5 in 2016: http://www.interfax.ru/russia/434256

(though there are rumors that the satellite's CDR hasn't even been passed yet and it won't launch till 2019, which doesn't help Sea Launch either)

I presume this will sink Sea Launch and Zenit once and for all.

kq6ea · « **Reply #353 on:** 04/05/2015 11:20 pm »

From Google Translate:

However, the situation with" Zenith "incomprehensible

Yes, indeed it is......

Salo · « **Reply #354 on:** 06/16/2016 08:08 am »

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/nt-government-working-to-bring-space-industry-to-territory/news-story/dd89fb368bbcdc37a0899c47d2e98340#load-story-comments

kq6ea · « **Reply #355 on:** 06/19/2016 10:45 pm »

I saw that last week in another thread.

Be real interesting to see if they can pull this off.....

Space Ghost 1962 · « **Reply #356 on:** 06/19/2016 11:01 pm »

Quote from: JILL POULSENNT News

However, there was a slight hiccup with the deal when an unsecured creditor popped up, causing an issue which is now being dealt with in an American court.

Minor little fraction of a billion dollar quibble. Oh, and, how do those sats get encapsulated? Hmm.

And where do all those funds come from to feed to Energia and why should SDO Yuzhnoye / PO Yuzhmash care, having been washed out? How do they field a vehicle at today's launch prices?

Love the entertaining tidbits of the SeaLaunch dirge that spring up. Another fairy story...

BabaORileyUSA · « **Reply #357 on:** 10/03/2016 04:52 pm »

Hmmm... Russia's 'S7 Group' just bought SeaLaunch!

http://www.satellitetoday.com/publications/st/2016/09/28/russias-s7-group-buys-sea-launch/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3290463&hq_l=4&hq_v=2fa4dbbeda

BabaORileyUSA · « **Reply #358 on:** 10/04/2016 04:18 pm »

Here's the Roscosmos announcement of the S7 Group "deal":

http://en.roscosmos.ru/20646/

Let's hope the U.S. has no objections to the sale....

A relevant excerpt:
"Also today, RSC Energia and S7 Group signed an agreement on cooperation and joint work aimed at resuming the operation of the Sea Launch system. RSC Energia will provide to S7 Group the necessary engineering support, assistance in organizing the launches and in systems integration work."

Salo · « **Reply #359 on:** 11/11/2016 12:03 pm »

S7 will launch "Zenith" with the Angolan satellite. Launch is scheduled for July 2017 from Baikonur.
http://izvestia.ru/news/644111