Sea Launch: Russia Zenit 3SL successfully puts Eutelsat 3B satellite in orbit

Russia has sent a European communications satellite into orbit from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean, after the last launch in 2013 ended with the satellite plunging into the sea.

The Zenit-3SL rocket blasted off at 2209 GMT on Monday from the Odyssey launch pad and reached its orbit around an hour later, said the Sea Launch international consortium, 95 percent of which is controlled by Russia.

"Sea Launch went according to plan. The control of the (satellite) has been handed over," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees Russia's space programme, wrote on Twitter.

Sea Launch has been using the deep-sea platform named Odyssey to perform commercial operations since 1999.

Boeing of the United States and Norway's Aker ASA indirectly control five percent of the Swiss-based company, created in 1995, which has faced severe financial problems.

The last launch on February 1, 2013 failed, with the Zenit rocket, made from parts produced both in Ukraine and Russia, falling into the sea without managing to put a US Intelsat satellite into orbit.

The last planned launch of a Eutelsat 3B built by Airbus Defence and Space had been postponed from April 16 due to fresh technical problems.

Russia's space-rocket company Energia has said it plans to use the sea platform for four launches in 2014 and five in 2015.

Russia in recent years has experienced a series of embarrassing failures in the space sphere, leading to the loss of numerous satellites and other equipment.

Earlier this month, a Proton rocket carrying a European satellite fell to Earth less than 10 minutes afer it was launched at Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

In October last year, the Russian authorities dismissed the head of the space agency, Vladimir Popovkin, who was replaced by Oleg Ostapenko as part of a huge project to reform this highly strategic sector.

The former head of space-rocket company Energia, Vitaly Lopota, faces a criminal investigation into alleged abuse of office over loans to companies taking part in Sea Launch.

Energia owns a controlling share in Sea Launch through an affiliated company.

Another Zenit 3SL Sea Launch Failure

Once the platform is ballasted to a depth of 22 m, the launch vehicle hangar is opened and the Zenit 3SL is mechanically moved to a vertical position. 

The launch platform crew members then evacuate to the command ship which steams about five kilometers away. 

Rocket stages are then remotely commanded to load propellants. 

The final launch sequence is then completed and launch takes place.

Sea Launch is currently a Russian spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile seagoing platform for direct equatorial launches of commercial payloads on Zenit 3SL rockets.

Since its inception there have been 31 launches, including three failures and one partial failure. The sea-based system operates out of Long Beach, California, but its launches take place from an equatorial spot in the Pacific Ocean. This location allows a minimal energy ascent-to-orbit for geostationary-bound satellites.

Sea Launch was originally established in 1995 as a consortium of four companies from Norway, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. The program was managed by Boeing with personnel participation from the other shareholders.

Its first launch took place in March 1999. Almost all of Sea Launch's commercial payloads have been communications satellites intended for geostationary transfer orbit. The launch vehicle and its payload are assembled in Long Beach on a specially outfitted ship, the "Sea Launch Commander."

Once assembled the vehicle is positioned on top of a self-propelled converted oil platform, the "Ocean Odyssey." Both the command ship and the platform sail some 4,828 km to an equatorial position at 154 degrees West Longitude, where final pre-launch operations and launch take place.

The travel time to the site is about 11 days for the platform and about eight days for the command ship.

Sea Launch puts Intelsat 21 TV satellite into orbit

Intelsat 21, a satellite that will provide television communication services, was put into orbit on Sunday August 19 by a Zenit-3SL rocket which blasted off from a floating platform in the Pacific Ocean provided by commercial satellite launcher Sea Launch.

The rocket lifted off from the Launch Platform Odyssey, a modified oil drilling platform positioned at the Equator in the Pacific Ocean.

The launch took place at 6.55 am Sunday August 19 (UTC/GMT).

The satellite reached geosynchronous transfer orbit within 30 minutes of launch and within 55 minutes initial data was received from the satellite.

Boeing Satellite Systems, which built the satellite for Intelsat, confirmed that it was functioning normally.

The satellite will be moved next into geostationary orbit where it will have a permanent position locked above a fixed point on the Earth.

The Intelsat 21 satellite has been built to operate for 18 or more years and replaces the Intelsat 9 communications satellite.

Intelsat 21, which will enter service later this year, will provide C-band services for North America, South America and Europe, and Ku-band services for North America, the Caribbean, Brazil, Europe and Western Africa. This is the second of four satellites built by Boeing for Intelsat.

Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch AG, said of the launch: "We appreciate the trust and confidence that Intelsat has placed in the Sea Launch system and are thrilled to have successfully launched the Intelsat 21 satellite.

This is our third mission for Intelsat in the past 11 months, which demonstrates the commitment to schedule and mission assurance by Sea Launch."

Sea Launch's Odyssey Launch Platform and Zenit-3SL rocket. Credit: Sea Launch

Sea Launch AG, which has headquarters in Bern, Switzerland, was set up 1995 to offer satellite launches from a platform in the sea.

The company carried out its first launch of a demonstration payload in March 1999.

Since its demonstration launch the company has had carried out 33 launches, including today's.