Russian rocket failure destroys telecom satellite
FEB 01, 2013
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026735
BBC : A Zenit-3SL rocket, launched earlier today by Sea Launch AG , failed 40 seconds into its flight. The launch was the fifth by the company since 2011, when it had reemerged from bankruptcyâmdash;caused by a previous launch failure. Now owned by a Russian consortium, Sea Launch is one of many companies competing to launch geostationary telecommunications satellites. The Zenit-3SL rocket uses a mobile oceanic launch pad, which can be moved to the equator, where Earth’s rotational energy boosts the rocket’s lift capacity. The rocket has a reliable launch record, and the reason for the failure is unknown. It was carrying the Intelsat -27 satellite, a 6.4-ton communications satellite designed by Boeing, which would have helped provide direct-to-home television and internet signals.
© 2013. American Institute of Physics