- published: 26 May 2014
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Sea Launch is a multinational spacecraft launch service that used a mobile maritime launch platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit-3SL rockets through 2013.
By 2013, it had assembled and launched thirty-one rockets, with three failures and one partial failure. All commercial payloads have been communications satellites intended for geostationary transfer orbit with such customers as EchoStar, DirecTV, XM Satellite Radio, PanAmSat, and Thuraya.
The launcher and its payload are assembled on a purpose-built ship Sea Launch Commander in Long Beach, California, USA. It is then positioned on top of the self-propelled platform Ocean Odyssey and moved to the equatorial Pacific Ocean for launch, with the Sea Launch Commander serving as command center. The sea-based launch system means the rockets can be fired from the optimum position on Earth's surface, considerably increasing payload capacity and reducing launch costs compared to land-based systems.