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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Exploration Strategy _ Launch sites

Posted by: climber Nov 22 2007, 08:18 PM

I didn't realize that so many changes were even envisioned.
Launch sites in the near futur :
From space.com:New launch base in Russia in Amur region due to enter service in 2018 : http://www.space.com/news/071121-new-russian-cosmodrome.html
From Aviation week nov 5 th 2007 issue page 30 : new launch base in China at Wenchang on the Hainan Island due in 2013 (no link to article)
From CSG (Centre Spatila Guyanais):Soyuz 2 due to be launched from Kourou next year (in french) : http://www.cnes.fr/web/4019-le-projet-soyouz.php

I didn't find a topic here on UMSF regarding launch sites. If there's one, thanks to move this post to the proper section. If not, we can may be discuss about past, actual and future launch sites of planet Earth.

Posted by: Geographer Nov 23 2007, 05:02 PM

A long time ago I read about a concept by Boeing to launch rockets (presumably small ones) off old oil-rigs. It was called Sealaunch and would take advantage of launching straight off the equator. It never got built. Anyone know what happened to the idea?

Europe's old empires are proving useful in a new way. We all know ESA's launch pad is in French Guiana which is considerably closer to the equator than Cape Canaveral.

Posted by: djellison Nov 23 2007, 05:14 PM

Sea Launch WAS built, it 's been operating for many years - Boeing operate it with Russian Zenit rockets. The next launch is Sunday.

http://www.boeing.com/special/sea-launch/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Launch

Posted by: jamescanvin Nov 23 2007, 05:15 PM

QUOTE (Geographer @ Nov 23 2007, 05:02 PM)

Eh?

It did get built, lots of launches have happened, then a big launch pad explosion occurred in January - flights resume this weekend!

http://www.boeing.com/special/sea-launch/

James

EDIT: Doug snuck in first.

Posted by: elakdawalla Nov 26 2007, 10:37 PM

Sea Launch's return is a welcome one in my household, even for my "space-shmace" husband -- after Thuraya-3 goes up, the next one is supposed to be DirecTV 11, which will multiply the number of HD channels we get. Though according to my husband, there's some kind of bickering going on between DirecTV and PBS such that they may not carry PBS in HD, which would be pretty stupid. I can count the blades of grass on the football field for NFL games, but the stars are blurred in all the public TV space shows I watch.

--Emily

Posted by: nprev Nov 27 2007, 12:37 PM

Bit more of a delay; SeaLaunch is heading back to port due to "unusually strong currents" at the launch site.