Launch vehicles for Sea Launch program to be assembled in U.S
MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax-AVN) - The S7 company, which is about to resume the Sea Launch program, has enough clients, S7 Group co-owner and chair of the board of directors Natalia Filyova told the press.
"We have [launch] orders, there is a long line [of clients], and we offer a good price. We are expecting revenue, but this will not happen right away. We will be investing heavily but we realize that we will make money," Filyova said.
As for launch vehicles, she said their final assembly would be carried out in the United States. "Final assembly will be carried out in America. We will also assemble something in Ukraine," she said.
As reported earlier, S7 will be using Ukrainian-made Zenit launch vehicles for its Sea Launch project through 2023.
The Yuzhmash state-run Machine-building Plant in Dnipro said it would resume the production of Zenit launch vehicles for the Sea Launch and Land Launch international projects.
According to the plant, Yuzhmash and S7 Sea Launch Limited entered into a contract on April 28 to build 12 Zenit launch vehicles for space exploration programs conducted under the Sea Launch and Land Launch projects.
Yuzhmash suspended production of Zenit rockets in 2014 because of financial problems being experienced by the Sea Launch and Land Launch operators.
The Zenit-3SL LV is a derivative of the two-stage Zenit-2 rocket created by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and manufactured by Yuzhmash. The DM-SL upper stage was developed and is produced by Russia's Energia Corporation.
Back in 2016, S7 said it had signed a contract with Sea Launch Group to acquire Sea Launch assets. "The substance of this deal is the Sea Launch Commander ship, the Odyssey platform carrying rocket equipment, equipment located in the Long Beach seaport (the U.S.), and the Sea Launch company's intellectual property, including the trade mark," the company said.