The Zenit 3SL rocket has returned to flight with the successful launch of Spacecom’s Amos-4 satellite.
The mission was carried out by Land Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is the first launch of a Zenit rocket since the failed…
The Zenit 3SL rocket has returned to flight with the successful launch of Spacecom’s Amos-4 satellite.
The mission was carried out by Land Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is the first launch of a Zenit rocket since the failed launch of Intelsat-27 on 1 February 2013.
Sea Launch’s subsequent failure review oversight board (FROB) investigation into that anomaly found that the problem was due to an issue with the pump in the hydraulic power supply unit of the Zenit-3SL’s first stage.
In a June statement, Sea Launch said that corrective actions would be completed on the existing flight units in the June/July time frame and did not involve any design changes to the flight hardware.
Sea Launch is expected to restart its launch operations next year with the launch of Eutelsat 3B in April 2014.
Unlike previous Land Launch flights, Russia’s Space International Services did not partner with Sea Launch on the Amos-4 mission.
The Zenit-3SLB rocket used by Land Launch is nearly the same as the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch system, with the engines and avionics remaining unchanged between the two vehicles. The different fairing used on Land Launch is the main difference between the two, as well as the alternative launch site and certain performance levels.
Amos-4 was built by Israel Aerospace Industries and is Israel’s largest and most sophisticated communication satellite costing more than US$350m.
Based on the Amos 4000 platform, it is the first IAI satellite to use modular design architecture, with a bus module, a repeater module and an Earth facing antennas module.
Located at 65E, the satellite is and is designed to provide Ku and Ka-band services across Russia, the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East.
The Amos 4000 platform will also be used for the AMOS-6 satellite, which is currently being built by IAI and is due to be launched by SpaceX in 2015.
Spacecom recently announced that it had secured a US$105.4m loan with the US export credit agency Ex-Im Bank to support the launch, as well as the purchase of solar panels made by US-based ATK and its subcontractor Emcore.
Spacecom is also seeking similar support from Export Development Canada to help fund Amos-6’s payload solution, which is being built by the Canadian manufacturer MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates.
IAI stated that it is currently under contract for five additional satellites to be launched in the coming years.
Sea Launch announces new deal
Sea Launch has announced the signing of a new launch services agreement with an undisclosed proprietary customer. The launch is slated for 2016.
Sea Launch added that it anticipates a future joint announcement with the customer when notified that the applicable business restraints have been lifted.
