Sea Launch vehicle explodes on launch pad, Sea Launch Zenit 3SL vehicle, carrying the NSS 8 satellite Options

[ElkGroveDan]

Sea Launch vehicle explodes on launch pad

The above link is a minute by minute account of the countdown at Spaceflight Now

[ElkGroveDan]

[Pavel]

I'm surprised that CNN and BBC are still silent about the failure. Curiously, Russian gazeta.ru and Ukrainian korrespondent.net both report that the launch has been successful.

[tasp]

Thanks gazet.ru and korrespondent.net, but while some debris might be in orbit, I suspect the satellite, and most likely the launch platform, are at the bottom of the Pacific with the squids . . . . .

[Pavel]

According to Space.com, "Korn said a helicopter had been dispatched to the launch platform to make a damage assessment."

I think the platform is afloat.

[nprev]

Weird...even Google News isn't picking up on it. Big thanks to EGD for the heads-up.

Hate to sound cynical, but that's probably because nobody got hurt...in this case, no news IS good news!

[elakdawalla]

This event got my husband ("space shmace") interested because he's now very worried about the launch of the second DirecTV HD satellite, which he says was to be a SeaLaunch in June or July. He's asking me if the launch date of that satellite is likely to be delayed significantly. I don't know enough to answer his question -- anybody got any insight?

--Emily

[tty]

Lovely bureaucratese:

"The Sea Launch Zenit 3SL vehicle, carrying the NSS 8 satellite, experienced an anomaly today during launch operations"

[djellison]

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m313/Sm...SSExplosion.flv

I can't imagine Odyssey getting out of that without significant damage...it's got a large hangar, a platform for bringing the LV to the vertical, large fuel tanks etc etc. How long did it take to convert it from an oil-rig into a launch platform...because it might just take that long again.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...nch-Odyssey.jpg

If I had a vehicle to launch this summer, I'd be on the phone to ILS to book a Proton or begging ULA for something in the Autumn. The damn thing looked like instead of launching, it just dropped off the platform - and that was going to be a very large, very hot, very powerfull fireball before the producer ran over to the wall and pulled the plug out.

This is what it should have looked like
http://www.boeing.com/special/sea-launch/m...SAT-wide-lg.jpg


Doug

[Tesheiner]

My impression of the lauch video is that the rocket falls *down* into the platform at about T-1s, some two seconds after ignition (T-3s, aprox.).

Edited: this is an excerpt of Spaceflight Now article on the subject.

"In the final five seconds, the launch team announcer was heard calling out "main engine start command" and then "go inertial" as typically expected. But as the smoke and steam billowed from the Russian RD-171 engine firing to life, the rocket didn't begin its normal quick rise skyward. Instead the three-stage rocket fell out of the camera view as the entire platform was enveloped in the explosion. Whether the rocket tipped over, fell downward from the platform or collapsed was inconclusive from the video seen live."

This post has been edited by Tesheiner: Jan 31 2007, 09:44 AM

[djellison]

It looked a bit like those crazy early US launch attempt vids where it just crumpled 'down'.

Doug

[tty]

Perhaps we should merge with this thread?

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=1871


The rocket certainly doesn't seem to tip over. It just sinks straight down. It only heels over slightly to the left just before the big explosion.

[edstrick]

Another one for the launch bloopers reel.

What we'll never hear, I presume, is the control room audio for the un-launch.

[ugordan]

The launch platform might not be totally destroyed. That looks like the fireball occured because of rapid propellant mixing, not a detonation. While everything aboard sure is burned to dust, the structures are probably still standing. At least those that don't melt. Unfortunate mishap, it really looks like the rocket fell down or, alternatively, weakened at some lower point and collapsed on itself. I'd go with scenario 1 by the looks of the video.

[djellison]

You can see something of a shockwave heading out to the left ( I think ) - not a detonation, but still fairly destructive. The main structure itself would be fine I would think - but the 'superstructure' of the thing....I don't know.

Doug