Sea Launch Fails

[sunward]

Now on the news wires:

Sea Launch Mission Fails
Tuesday January 30, 8:23 pm ET
By John Antczak, Associated Press Writer
Sea Launch Rocket Blows Up During Satellite Launch in Pacific


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Sea Launch Co. rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite exploded Tuesday during launch from an oceangoing platform in the equatorial Pacific.
The Boeing Co.-built NSS-8 satellite was intended for Netherlands-based SES New Skies.

"There was an explosion as we were lifting off," Sea Launch spokeswoman Paula Korn said from the company's home port in Long Beach.

The platform is cleared of all personnel during launches, which are conducted remotely by a mission control team aboard a ship several miles away.

Korn did not know the condition of the self-propelled platform Odyssey, a converted oil platform.

The blast occurred at the scheduled 3:22 p.m. PST launch time. It was not known if the Zenit-3SL rocket actually lifted off the platform.

A webcast of the launch was halted and replaced with the message: "Anomaly on NSS-8 mission. Broadcast concluded."

A failure review oversight board will be formed to determine what happened, Korn said.

NSS-8 was to have been used for audio, video, data and Internet services for countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia. SES New Skies has five other satellite in orbit and another under construction.

Based in the Port of Long Beach, Sea Launch is owned by Boeing, RSC-Energia of Moscow, Kvaerner ASA of Oslo, Norway, and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

The company sends its vessels to the equator for each mission because the physics of Earth's rotation allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than they could from other locations.

The system has had 23 previous launches since its first in 1999.

During the third launch, on March 12, 2000, the rocket failed to gain enough speed to reach orbit and a communications satellite was lost. During a June 28, 2004, launch, an upper-stage engine shut down prematurely and left the payload in a lower-than-planned orbit, but the satellite was later raised to the right position.

The Zenit-3SL has three stages, all fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen. It is about 200 feet tall and 14 feet in diameter at its widest.

 

[wwattles]

One of the guys on the launch team is a member here - Bob Roggendorf (bobrogg). Haven't seen him on in a while - probably has been busy with the launch schedule! He does optics for the launches, and can usually give the full story on what's going on out there.

WW

 

[Nerull]

Last frame before they cut the video - doesn't look good:

Good thing no one is on the platform during launch.

 

[Bobrogg]

It's been a very bad day.... All of us are safe with no injuries.

 

[cjl]

That's good. What kind of damage was there to the pad/facilities?

 

[loopy]

Wow - that absolutely sucks. Glad to hear everyone is okay, and I hope the launch platform survived somewhat intact.

 

[shreadvector]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMG2SBwIcrM

 

[Jacobgold91]

The Sea Launch Zenit-3SL vehicle, carrying the NSS-8 satellite, experienced an anomaly today during launch operations.

Thats terribile. At least everyones safe.

Rockets, How ever expensive, are replacable.

I hope you figure it out, and keep us updated!

-Jacob

 

[TWRackers]

"Anomaly"? Looks like the rocket fell down through the launch stand when it should've been thrusting upwards. Best guesses (and that's all they are) are (1) insufficient or no thrust due to motor malfunction, or (2) rocket released from pad too soon while motors were coming up to power.

 

[Rocketmaniac]

Originally posted by bobrogg
It's been a very bad day.... All of us are safe with no injuries.

Bob, sooo glad everyone is ok. I hope the launch platform wasn't damaged to badly, so you guys can get back into launching rockets as soon as possible.

When things slow down a little, we'd love to hear as much detail as you are allowed to give.

 

[Bobrogg]

Thank you! We are all alive and well. Because of company rules and government oversight rules and regulations I cannot give out any details about what happen other than to say we are ALL ok.

 

[wwattles]

Originally posted by bobrogg
Thank you! We are all alive and well. Because of company rules and government oversight rules and regulations I cannot give out any details about what happen other than to say we are ALL ok.

Bob,

You guys had just the one launch platform, right? Did that sink, or was it salvageable?

WW

 

[shreadvector]

Please read his last message. Read every single word. Twice or three times if necessary.

I don't think he will be violating those rules/regulations/laws by responding to your questions.

use public information - as limited as it may be - for now.

https://www.boeing.com/special/sea-launch/sllaunch_vehicle.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Launch

Originally posted by wwattles
Bob,

You guys had just the one launch platform, right? Did that sink, or was it salvageable?

WW

 

[davel]

https://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070201/lath054.html?.v=88

 

[JRThro]

Originally posted by shreadvector
I don't think he will be violating those rules/regulations/laws by responding to your questions.

By which you clearly mean that you don't think he will respond to the questions and thereby violate those rules/regulations/laws. On the other hand, the way you worded your sentence, it *could* be read as meaning you don't think that his responding to the questions would violate those rules/regulations/laws. I had to read your post a couple of times to be sure I understood what you were saying.

Since you meant the first thing, I agree with you.

 

[Fore Check]

WOW....

We've *all* had CATO stories...


...but damm...

 

[loopy]

Originally posted by Fore Check
WOW....

We've *all* had CATO stories...


...but damm...

Yeah, I think they win...

 

[overby]

Originally posted by Loopy
Yeah, I think they win...

Um, no. While it's certainly a giant ka-boom, there have been bigger:

- Titan IV
- Aerian V
- N1

 

[Lucas]

I think the N1 wins

 

[JJI]

I'm pretty sure the N1 wins out. Something about a giant singe mark and dead Russian generals.

 

[JJI]

ack, beat me to it!

 

[Lucas]

SeaLaunch Failures:
March 12, 2000, ICO F1, Failure
June 28, 2004, Telstar-18, Launch Anomaly
January 30, 2007, NSS-8 Failure

Looks like it fell back down into the ocean, maybe 1 or 2 or even 3 of the 4 engines failed to light. Atleast one did light I believe because you can see the smoke from the egines/water evaporating before the explosion.

It will be interesting to find out what really happened.

It is really not good for sea launch, now 3/24 launches have failed.

 

[Nerull]

Its one engine, with 4 combustion chambers. All the other machinery is shared, so its pretty unlikely that they would fail when the others worked.

 

[loopy]

Originally posted by JJI
I'm pretty sure the N1 wins out. Something about a giant singe mark and dead Russian generals.

Good point - forgot about that one!

Ah - here's what I was after...the N1 people aren't on this board! Bob wins for biggest CATO among users of TRF...yeah, that's it...that's the ticket...[/lovitz]

 

[Lucas]

Originally posted by Nerull
Its one engine, with 4 combustion chambers. All the other machinery is shared, so its pretty unlikely that they would fail when the others worked.

Yes you are right, my bad.

From Space Flight Now...

"A commercial Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket disintegrated in a fiery catastrophe aboard its oceangoing platform Tuesday, destroying a sophisticated telecommunications satellite payload in a dramatic launch pad explosion reminiscent of the space program's early days."

<img src="https://www.spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/nss8/images/sealaunchexplosion.jpg">

"The Ukrainian/Russian booster was igniting its main engine when the 20-story vehicle inexplicably fell, triggering a hellish fireball that engulfed the floating Odyssey platform.

The live video transmission from the equatorial launch site in the Pacific Ocean was abruptly cut seconds after the first signs of trouble. Condition of the Odyssey, a converted Norwegian oil-drilling platform, was not known as of late Tuesday.

A brief Sea Launch statement said that "all personnel are safe and accounted for." The platform was cleared of all workers before the rocket was fueled, with the launch team stationed aboard a command ship three miles away.

There was no immediate indication from Sea Launch of what could have caused such a devastating malfunction.

"The Sea Launch Zenit 3SL vehicle, carrying the NSS 8 satellite, experienced an anomaly today during launch operations. Sea Launch will establish a Failure Review Oversight Board to determine the root cause of this anomaly," the official statement said.

Delayed a few days by unfavorable sea conditions in the launch area and again Monday by what the company described as a "minor technical issue," Tuesday's countdown proceeded toward an on-target liftoff at 2322 GMT (6:22 p.m. EST).

In the final five seconds, the launch team announcer was heard calling out "main engine start command" and then "go inertial" as typically expected. But as the smoke and steam billowed from the Russian RD-171 engine firing to life, the rocket didn't begin its normal quick rise skyward. Instead the three-stage rocket fell out of the camera view as the entire platform was enveloped in the explosion. Whether the rocket tipped over, fell downward from the platform or collapsed was inconclusive from the video seen live.

Sea Launch immediately switched its broadcast to a company graphic and then signed off.

A Zenit 3SL is held in place on the launch table by holddown clamps at the base of the first stage. The clamps are not supposed to release until computers verify that the engine is running with good thrust. The powerplant has four chambers, four bell-shaped nozzles and a single turbopump. It is designed to generate 1.6 million pounds of thrust.

Tuesday's flight would have been the 24th for Sea Launch since debuting in 1999. It was the second total failure for the Zenit 3SL vehicle configuration. The first occurred on March 12, 2000 during Sea Launch's third mission when a mis-configured valve caused a pressure loss in the second stage. The vehicle was unable to reach orbit and fell back to Earth, destroying an ICO mobile communications satellite.

There also was an incident in June 2004 when the Block DM-SL upper stage shut down early, leaving the Telstar 18 satellite in a lower than planned orbit. But the satellite was able to overcome the shortfall.

Sea Launch had planned to conduct six commercial satellite deployment missions in 2007, with Tuesday's flight being the first. The schedule included the Thuraya 3 mobile communications satellite, direct-to-home broadcasting spacecraft for DirecTV and EchoStar, plus the Spaceway 3 broadband satellite and Galaxy 19 for Intelsat.

The Sea Launch consortium formed in 1995 with partners Boeing, Russia's RSC Energia, the Ukrainian rocket-builders Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash and Norwegian ship-builder Kvaerner. The rocket's first and second stages are Ukrainian-made, with the Russian Block DM-SL upper stage used to propel payloads into geosynchronous transfer orbits. All three stages are fueled with kerosene propellant and liquid oxygen.

Ruined in the explosion was the NSS 8 spacecraft belonging to operator SES NEW SKIES of The Hague, Netherlands. The 13,050-pound satellite featured 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders for commercial and governmental communications, high-speed Internet services and video broadcasting.

NSS 8 was slated to fly in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the Indian Ocean at the 57-degree East longitude slot. The satellite's coverage zone would have included two-thirds of the world's population from the vantage point, with reach to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.

The high-power craft, built by Boeing using its 702-model design, was expected to replace the aging NSS 703 satellite currently serving the area. In response to the launch failure, SES NEW SKIES said NSS 703 would remain in place through at least 2009 and future plans would be shuffled.

"SES NEW SKIES has already initiated the construction of NSS 9 for launch in 2009 into the Pacific Ocean Region. NSS 9 is intended to free up NSS 5 which in turn will then be free to relocate to 57 degrees to replace NSS 703."

The loss of NSS 8 is not expected to have an immediate impact on existing SES NEW SKIES customers or revenues, the statement concluded.

But the advanced satellite, originally ordered in early 2001, would have enabled nearly double the amount of transmission traffic than the current NSS 703 craft given its vast number of transponders and power, officials had said before launch.

A short movie of the explosion as it was seen live on the Sea Launch broadcast has been posted by someone on the popular YouTube website. "

 

[wwattles]

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's best mobile launch platform. Odyssey 2 will be that platform. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, bigger...."

I certainly hope that the consortium which runs Sea Launch has the backing and desire to rebuild the program. I'm sure that along the way, they've had a growing list of "I wish we had's" for the Odyssey platform, and now's their chance to implement those.

It truly is a unique launch system, and given that the equator passes through far more ocean than it does land, Sea Launch still looks to be a viable commercial idea for the long run.

WW

PS: I wonder if they had insurance to offset some of the financial loss...

 

[Lucas]

Originally posted by wwattles
"Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's best mobile launch platform. Odyssey 2 will be that platform. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, bigger...."

I certainly hope that the consortium which runs Sea Launch has the backing and desire to rebuild the program. I'm sure that along the way, they've had a growing list of "I wish we had's" for the Odyssey platform, and now's their chance to implement those.

It truly is a unique launch system, and given that the equator passes through far more ocean than it does land, Sea Launch still looks to be a viable commercial idea for the long run.

WW

PS: I wonder if they had insurance to offset some of the financial loss...

Alright so does that mean that the other one really did get damaged beyond repair in the explosion?

 

[bobkrech]

Originally posted by wwattles
"Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's best mobile launch platform. Odyssey 2 will be that platform. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, bigger...."

I certainly hope that the consortium which runs Sea Launch has the backing and desire to rebuild the program. I'm sure that along the way, they've had a growing list of "I wish we had's" for the Odyssey platform, and now's their chance to implement those.

It truly is a unique launch system, and given that the equator passes through far more ocean than it does land, Sea Launch still looks to be a viable commercial idea for the long run.

WW

PS: I wonder if they had insurance to offset some of the financial loss...

Huh! There doesn't appear to be a great amount of structural damage to the Odyssey 1.

The Odyssey Launch Platform, departing the launch site at the Equator on February 3, under it's own power and crew.

A preliminary assessment of the Odyssey Launch Platform indicates that, while it has sustained limited damage, the integrity and functionality of essential marine, communications and crew support systems remains intact. The vessel is operating on its own power and is currently manned by the full marine crew. This team is performing a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the vessel, including its structural integrity and sea-worthiness, in anticipation of identifying and planning the next steps.

https://www.sea-launch.com/news_releases/nr_070201.html

Yes the paint got scorched, and the blast deflector is apparently missing, but I'm not so sure it's going to take a long time to rebuild if they have a supply of spare parts back in Long Beach.

Bob

 

[TWRackers]

Originally posted by bobkrech
... Yes the paint got scorched, and the blast deflector is apparently missing, but I'm not so sure it's going to take a long time to rebuild if they have a supply of spare parts back in Long Beach.

Bob

Can someone confirm or deny the rumor that the blast deflector was an extremely large used circular saw blade?

 

[WShoreRockets]

Originally posted by TWRackers
Can someone confirm or deny the rumor that the blast deflector was an extremely large used circular saw blade?

Nah, the used the lid from the world's largest coffee can, and punched a hole in it for the launch rod, aka metal telephone poll.