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Sea Launch Dedicates Floating Mission Control
Washington DC - October 9, 1997 - 
Washington DC - October 9, 1997 - Boeing Sea Launch officials have dedicated their Assembly and Command ship the "Sea Launch Commander" in ceremonies late last month at the platform's facility and rocket equipment construction site in Glasgow, Norway. The ship, which will be used for the first time next fall when a three stage version of the Russian Zenit space booster is launched at sea, will serve as an ocean going "Mission Control" for the Boeing space launches.The platform will house electronic tracking and instrumentation equipment receiving radio status from the Zenit and its satellite payloads, which will be mounted on a nearby self-propelled Launch Platform. Both the command ship and the launch platform are being constructed by one of Boeing's partners in the project, Kvaerner Marine of Oslo, Norway. The construction of the platform began last year at Kvaerner's Govan shipyard complex, on Glasgow's Clyde River. When used in support of space launches at sea, the boat will be able to accommodate up to 50 customer members and a service crew. The floating rocket control center weighs more than 34,000 tons. The Zenit's launching platform will carry the rocket and payload stored in environmentally controlled conditions during its cruise to the launch point, a location near the earth's equator just off Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean. Once at the launch site, the rocket will be rolled out to its pad atop the platform, fueled, checked out and launched. The platform will carry storage tanks for the rocket's fuel, as well as transporter and erector systems in addition to the Zenit itself. While the dedication ceremony was interesting for the statement it made about Sea Launch's progress, it was also noteworthy for the person that did the dedication: Mrs. Bobbie Cromer. She is the wife of Hughes Space and Communications International chair Don Cromer. And what, you might ask, has that to do with Sea Launch? Hughes is the customer for that first inaugural launch next year, and has booked a dozen more, carrying their biggest satellite, the HS702. In its eternal quest for the cheapest ride to orbit, Hughes has enabled several new players on the commercial launch scene, including the Delta III as well as the Sea Launch Zenit. Thus, who better to dedicate the floating Cape Canaveral than the wife of the man who made it, in a sense, possible. CommunityEmail This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Space
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