Sea Launch was a multinational spacecraft launch service provider that utilized a unique mobile maritime launch platform, the *Odyssey*, for equatorial launches. Employing specialized Zenit-3SL rockets, it aimed to provide reliable and affordable access to geostationary orbit for commercial satellites. Key partners included Boeing, RSC Energia, and Yuzhmash, with customers such as EchoStar, DirecTV, and Intelsat. The company ceased operations in 2014 and was later acquired by Russia's S7 Group.
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China Rocket, affiliated with CASC, planned additional Jielong-3 launches in 2023 after debuting the vehicle with a sea launch in 2022.
Two Golden Bauhinia No. 1 satellites (05 and 06) were launched from a sea launch platform in the Yellow Sea on 9 December 2022 by the Jielong-3 (Y1) carrier rocket.
Sea launch platforms provide options for the launch point and drop zone and can avoid overflight of economically developed and densely populated areas when deploying low-inclination satellites.
China launched five commercial remote sensing satellites (Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D04-07 and Gaofen-04A) on a sea launch of a Long March 11 rocket.
Galactic Energy is planning to launch its third Ceres-1 solid rocket within a few months and could test a sea launch of Ceres-1 before the end of the year.
CALT established a nearby final assembly and test base that supported a Long March 11 sea launch in May.
Haiyang recently hosted a third Long March 11 solid rocket sea launch using a nearby new final assembly and test base for the first time.
The 2022-04-30 Long March 11 sea launch was China’s third sea launch and the most southerly sea launch to date from facilities based at Haiyang, Shandong province.
On 2022-04-30 (Universal Time) a Long March 11 sea launch sent five Jilin-1 satellites to orbit, including Jilin-1 Gaofen 03D04 to 03D07 and the Gaofen 04A with 0.50-meter resolution.
The 2022-04-30 Long March 11 sea launch placed satellites into roughly 530 by 546-kilometer sun-synchronous orbits from a platform in the Yellow Sea.
The Long March 11 East China Sea launch was expected to deliver new Jilin-1 satellites into orbit.
China has developed sea-launch infrastructure at Haiyang in Shandong province to allow launches from the seas.
Sea Launch has been an enterprise dominated by Russian and Ukrainian companies and uses Zenit launch vehicles produced by Ukraine’s Yuzhmash.
China carried out its first sea launch in 2019-06-01 using a Long March 11 rocket.
The two Sea Launch vessels were used for launches of the Zenit-3SL, most recently in May 2014.
In 2016 S7 Group agreed to purchase Sea Launch from RSC Energia.
S7 Group paid about $150,000,000 for Sea Launch.
S7 Group acquired Sea Launch’s assets from RSC Energia in 2016 and plans to operate the venture from Vladivostok but has not set a firm date for resuming launches.
S7 Group completed its purchase of Sea Launch in 2018.
Spaceway-1 was launched in 2005 on a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket.