Land Launch refers to a service product of Sea Launch SA. There is no entity or company called Land Launch. Sea Launch created the Land Launch offering to address lighter satellites directly into geosynchronous orbit or into geosynchronous transfer orbit, while Sea Launch continues to address the heavy satellite launch market.
In 2002, Sea Launch created Land Launch with its Russian and Ukrainian partners. The Russian and Ukrainian partners formed a Russian company Space International Services (SIS) to provide the launch services and launch operations. While the Sea Launch company maintains the rights to market Land Launch to the commercial community, the new entity SIS can market launch services to government customers.
Land Launch uses Zenit rockets to conduct commercial satellite launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45/1 in Kazakhstan. Land Launch missions differ from Sea Launch missions in that the Zenit-3SLB is used, as opposed to the Zenit-3SL. The Zenit-3SLB utilizes substantially the same components as the Zenit-3SL but a smaller payload fairing is used to accommodate the smaller satellites launched from its northern operating location.
The first launch was conducted on 28 April 2008 at 05:00 GMT, when a Zenit-3SLB was used to place AMOS-3 (AMOS-60) a communications satellite, into a geosynchronous orbit.
A second launch was completed on February 26, 2009, when Land Launch successfully launched the Telstar 11N mission.
A commercial version of the two-stage Zenit-2M, the Zenit-2SLB, is also offered for commercial launches utilizing Land Launch. However, no launches have been contracted for this smaller rocket.
Launches
Number Date Type Serial No. Launch site Payload Payload Type Orbit Outcome Remarks 1 28 April 2008 Zenit-3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 45 AMOS-3 Commercial communications satellite Geostationary orbit Success First Land Launch flight 2 2009-02-26 Zenit 3SLBBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 45Telstar 11NCommercial communications satelliteGTOSuccess 32009-06-22Zenit 3SLBBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 45MEASAT-3aCommercial communications satelliteGTOSuccess 42009-11-30Zenit 3SLBBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 45Intelsat 15Commercial communications satelliteGTOSuccess 52011-10-05Zenit 3SLBBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 45Intelsat 18Commercial communications satelliteGTOSuccess 62013-09-31Zenit 3SLBBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 45AMOS-4Commercial communications satelliteGTOSuccess
See also Expendable launch system Sea Launch
References
External links Land Launch Home Page