Sea Launch to take Eutelsat satellite to space in December
BERN/MOSCOW. Sept 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The launch of the three stage Zenit-3SL space rocket from a floating platform in the Pacific is slated for December, Sea Launch international consortium reported on Thursday.
The press release received by Interfax-AVN says the Ocean Force sea-based transport vessel carrying the Zenit-2S launch vehicle and Block-DM-SL upper stage designated for the Eutelsat 70B mission arrived pier-side at Sea Launch's Home Port facility in Long Beach, California from Ukraine on September 19.
An Interfax-AVN source in the space industry added that the takeoff is scheduled for December 15 and will be the third for Sea Launch this year.
The press release of Sea Launch says that the payload accommodations, provided by Boeing Commercial Space Company, will be shipped in early October, and the Eutelsat-70B satellite weighing 5,250 kilos made by Astrium later in October.
Zenit-3SL rockets are launched by Sea Launch consortium established in 1995. After the reorganization in 2010 95% in it belong to Energia Overseas Ltd. affiliated to Russia's Energia rocket and space corporation, 3% to a subsidiary of U.S. Boeing and 2% to Norwegian Aker Solutions shipbuilder.
By now Sea Launch has launched 33 Zenit-3SL rockets from floating platform in the Pacific.