Sea-Launch for Small Satellites: An American/Russian Joint Venture

This paper describes practical means of bypassing the two major impediments to the commercial exploitation of space. These two impediments or constraints, are the affordability, reliability, and availability of launch vehicles on the one hand, and the affordability, availability, and flexibility of launch facilities on the other hand. As to the former, US launch vehicles are noted for their technological complexity, their high cost, and their susceptibility to single point failures. As to the latter, our land launch facilities are costly, inadequate and congested. Schedule delays on one launch cause delays for all succeeding launches from a given launch pad. The conversion of suitable military rockets (and specifically surplus SLBMs) into satellite launch vehicles will use already paid-for assets and will minimize costs for new construction as well as rocket fuels and oxidizers. Using floating sea-launch techniques already developed, the costs of launch pads, gantries, blockhouses, high capacity water cooling systems, etc., are largely eliminated. In order to bring the cost per pound in orbit down dramatically, a US/Russian joint venture, Sea Launch Services, has been initiated to convert Russian SLBMs into mobile floating boosters launchable from international waters.