Future Of Sea Launch Hangs On Quality Of Ukrainian Rockets

SPACEMART

need a ride to geo

Dneptropet-rovsk - Sept. 12, 2000
The future of the Sea Launch project depends on the quality of Zenit rockets produced at the Yuzhnoe Machine Building Plant, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told reporters in Dneptropet-rovsk Tuesday.

"If successful launches are made using the Zenit rocket then I'm certain that the orders will come in," he said.

Kuchma visited the plant and its Zenit rocket complex section.

"Today the plant director closed his eyes and admitted a large number of people to the rocket production plant," Kuchma said, adding that this is an exception to the rules and will be "the first and last time." The exception was made because the president and director of the Sea Launch project visited the plant, he said.

Sea Launch director Will Trafton said the program was very effective. Program officials have intensified efforts to market the Zenit, he said. Sea Launch has great prospects, Trafton said, adding that he would like to see more rockets in the works.

The international Sea Launch program uses an offshore platform as its launch complex and a tanker for assembly and test operations and launch control center. The Sea Launch program's main advantage is that satellites can be launched into geostationary orbit from the equator, which conserves energy.

The Sea Launch Limited Partnership consortium was set up for the program by U.S. company Boeing (with a 40% share), Russia's Energia (25%), British-Dutch Kvaerner (20%), and two Ukrainian enterprises - Yuzhnoe and Yuzhnoe Machine Building Plant (with 15% together). Yuzhnoe Machine Building Plant was founded in 1944 and today employs 19,000 people. The plant since the 1960s had produced a number of unique rockets and aerospace equipment.

Efforts have increased at the plant in recent years under a Russian-Ukrainian program to use the Zenit rocket complex.

President Kuchma was general director of Yuzhnoe Machine Building Plant from 1986 to 1992.

SPACEMART

Space Systems/Loral Signs with Sea Launch for Telstar-8

Long Beach - Sept. 11, 2000
Space Systems/Loral has signed an agreement with Sea Launch, the ocean-based launch services company, to launch the Telstar-8 satellite in 2002. The contract, signed July 26, came two days before the successful launch of PAS-9, in which Sea Launch delivered the satellite to orbit with "bull's eye" accuracy.

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