Sea Launch

May 4, 2004 9:19 PM

Sea Launch successfully put a 5-ton television satellite into orbit yesterday from a 400-foot long mobile platform in the central Pacific Ocean. It was the 12th successful launch for the firm (run by a consortium that includes Boeing and Energia), with the equatorial position in the mid-Pacific allowing the rocket to carry a heavier payload to orbit with less fuel.

Slowly but surely, spaceflight is becoming commercialized even as the U.S. has renewed efforts to militarize it.
posted by QuestionableSwami (12 comments total)

Get George Soros on the phone, quick. The sooner left-leaning citizens of Earth get a dedicated satellite, the better. (Great breaking news post, by the way. Loved that Pizza Hut link.)
posted by mediareport at 9:27 PM on May 4, 2004

thanks for the link, I missed the news that it launched.
posted by tomplus2 at 9:33 PM on May 4, 2004

You mean the sooner we can get our asses to Mars, the better.
posted by Ryvar at 10:00 PM on May 4, 2004

NSFW, courtesy MCD in #mefi
posted by Ryvar at 10:08 PM on May 4, 2004

I get a hardon for huge high-tech projects that get components from different parts of the world (Norway, Ukraine, Russia, Seattle). Something really James Bond about it.

The costs of sending this up must be enormous. Beyond the initial capital for the damn thing, they have to send a dedicated ship out to this platform to deliver fuel and supplies. I didn't realize there was such a strong demand to send television sattelites into space. I feel guilty that so much energy was expended so I can get HDTV channels.
posted by geoff. at 10:39 PM on May 4, 2004

[this is good]

Although, I would have thought that a company capable of sending payloads into space could manage to build a web site that is not full of broken links. I mean, it's not exactly rocket science, is it?
posted by dg at 12:16 AM on May 5, 2004

Perhaps, but on the other hand, the site is easy to navigate, clear (and not some piece of flash junk), and very rich in content. Considering they're probably not attracting most of their clients through their website, I'd say that's pretty good for a commercial company.
posted by fvw at 1:02 AM on May 5, 2004

I've actually taken a tour of both the launch platform and the accompanying command ship and I have to agree it's pretty cool. It's a converted floating oil platform (the Norway part), and when it's not being used, it docks in Long Beach, California. geoff., I can't divulge the exact cost of using this thing, but it's comparable to other launch vehicles in price. One cool insider tidbit is that while in the Pacific, they often catch their meals. My co-worker had shark for dinner (and breakfast and lunch and . . .).
posted by EatenByAGrue at 1:14 AM on May 5, 2004

Good article on Sea Launch from the Atlantic Monthly.
posted by thijsk at 2:35 AM on May 5, 2004

A really cool project, and I'm glad it's still running (and presumably making a profit).

I just wish that they had renamed the rig - the Ocean Odyssey in it's previous life was a drilling rig which suffered a catastrophic blowout in 1987, killing one crew member (one Timothy Williams, radio operator).

The name tends to send a chill up the spine of anyone who's worked offshore North Sea for any length of time ...
posted by thatwhichfalls at 3:28 AM on May 5, 2004

I didn't realize there was such a strong demand to send television sattelites into space. I feel guilty that so much energy was expended so I can get HDTV channels.

I was interested to note when I first got satellite tv a couple years back that the progress of various launches is followed fairly closely on some of the satellite tv forums. I have to admit I myself am hoping this will hasten the arrival of availability of local channels on directv in my market.
posted by markavatar at 5:52 AM on May 5, 2004

I believe that the majority of spacecraft in orbit are commercial in nature and have been for a number of years. What is increasing is the number of commercial launches.
The FAA's Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) 2003 report (PDF) [which by the way has the Odyssey Platform on its cover] counts 17 out of 63 orbital launches as commercial according to their definition (27%). From the 91 payloads they carried 20 are classified as commercial but only 26 as military (28%), the rest are experimental, scientific, remote sensing or navigational aid satellites.
I'm not in favor of militarizing space but don't forget that the GPS was funded, developed and deployed by the US Department of defense and it has numerous civilian applications.
posted by golo at 9:05 AM on May 5, 2004