Setback considered minor by participants and analysts

Published: 3/16/2000

Despite preparations for the third launch, on 12th March, of the Zenit-SL booster from the Sea Launch sea-going platform having gone to plan, the rocket fired off the platform in the middle of the Pacific failed to place the satellite into orbit. According to Boeing, the signal from the rocket to the command ship were lost near the end of the launch event, as the rocket was completing the firing of its second stage. The spacecraft crashed into the sea. The satellite was one of 12 being built by Hughes Electronics, a subsidiary of General Motors, for the ICO system, which intends to provide global telecommunications from late 2002. ICO, which is based in London, has been operating under bankruptcy-court protection since August 1999 and is reported to be in the throes of developing a new business plan, backed by mobile phone pioneer, Craig McCaw. The companies involved are keen to play down the failure. Richard Greco, Chief Executive of ICO, conceded disappointment, but insisted that the impact on the company would be minimal. This is consistent with the view held by industry analysts. They consider that the Sea Launch venture will play a key role in lifting many commercial satellites into orbit over the coming years and that the high risk nature of the business makes some failures inevitable. The ICO satellite is reported to have been fully insured for $235m. The company has said that it needs only 10 of the 12 satellites ordered to operate its network. An investigation into the cause of the failure is now underway. According to Vladimir Titov, former cosmonaut, now acting Moscow Director of Boeing's subsidiary for space and communications services, rough financial estimates show that the Sea Launch business could generate a profit, if six to nine launches per year. He claims that, theoretically, Russian and Ukrainian space industries could accommodate this sort of rate. However, with this level of orders, there could be a shortage of Energomash RD-170 and RD-171 engines for the Zenit's first and second rocket stages. These engines were built as part of the Energia/Buran programme but, when funding for the programme was cancelled almost ten years ago, engine production ceased. Meanwhile, the stockpile of engines built earlier is becoming obsolete. The restoration of RD-171/RD-170 production is likely to require a considerable amount of time and money. The RD-170 and RD-171 engines are produced by NPO Energomash in Khimki, Moscow region. At the same time, Titov claims that technical capacities and financial resources of RKK Energia are sufficient to produce the required number of DM-3SL boosting blocks for the Zenits, which are used as the upper (fourth) stage in mission on placing satellites into geotransfer orbits (GTO). The design of the DM-3SL is considered outdated, in comparison with the Breeze and Fregat boosting blocks, recently developed and successfully tested by Khrunichev Space Centre and NPO Lavochkin. In particular, the DM-3SL can withstand only two or three thrust impulses, notably less than the two newer designs. However, RKK Energia seems to be reluctant to commit to designing a new boosting block, preferring the modernisation of the basic DM-3, which would increase the Zenit-SL's GTO capability from its current 2.3t up to 2.4t and, later, 2.5 t. Although Titov admits the tendency towards heavier new commercial communications satellites, (up to 4.5-5.0 t for the newest platforms), he predicts that 2-t platforms will stay in production for some time, while technological progress in micro electronics will soon enable the industry to put into production lightweight "digital" satellites of next generation. Titov also claims that the Zenit is better suited for placing light-weight communications satellites into low orbits than the heavy Proton-K and Ariane-5 boosters.

Article ID: 1683