Satellite launch goes boom

Sea Launch mission fails

A Sea Launch Co. rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite exploded Tuesday during launch from an oceangoing platform in the equatorial Pacific.
The Boeing Co.-built NSS-8 satellite was intended for Netherlands-based SES New Skies.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by WarraWarra

Sea Launch mission fails

A Sea Launch Co. rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite exploded Tuesday during launch from an oceangoing platform in the equatorial Pacific.
The Boeing Co.-built NSS-8 satellite was intended for Netherlands-based SES New Skies.

talk about having a bad day.that had to be costly hope they had good insurance.

[Sadoun]

Interesting in the article it says:

The company sends its vessels to the equator for each mission because the physics of Earth's rotation allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than they could from other locations.

I think at the equator, the rocket would benefit the most from the earth's rotation speed to gain acceleration and gravity escape. Thus, it can have a heavier load with the same effort.

[boz]

Originally Posted by Sadoun

Interesting in the article it says:


I think at the equator, the rocket would benefit the most from the earth's rotation speed to gain acceleration and gravity escape. Thus, then can have a heavier load with the same effort.

That's essentially correct. Of course, the satellite does not achieve escape velocity, or we'd never see it again. When a satellite launches from a non-equatorial location, it will end up in an inclined orbit if it takes full advantage of the earth's rotational assist. It takes fuel to alter the orbit into a geosynchronous equatorial orbit. By launching from the equator you can loft more, and use less fuel thus saving the satellite's on-board fuel and lengthening it's usable life.

This is one of the on-going issues with the ISS. Since the most southern Russian launch facility is at Baikonur at 47 degrees N the ISS is in an orbit that is inclined to reach that latitude (51.59 degrees inclination). Cape Canaveral is at 28 degrees North, so when we launch a Shuttle to the ISS, we have to waste fuel (giving up payload) launching more northerly to go into the same inclined orbit. The most efficient launch trajectory is directly east, so most US shuttle orbits not going to the ISS only incline 28 degrees or so.

[boroda1]

This investigation can delay DirecTV launch:
Sea Launch Explosion may delay DirecTV's 100 HD channels - Engadget HD

Also, here is "You Tube" video, showing "ka-boom":
YouTube - Rocket Blows Up

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Sadoun

Interesting in the article it says:
Quote:
The company sends its vessels to the equator for each mission because the physics of Earth's rotation allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than they could from other locations.


I think at the equator, the rocket would benefit the most from the earth's rotation speed to gain acceleration and gravity escape. Thus, it can have a heavier load with the same effort.

I think the biggest reason for launching near the equator is because if say they launch from say the Cape, the initial orbit will be an inclined orbit at something like 28 deg at best. Once in orbit, they then need to expend a LOT of energy to turn that into the required equatorial orbit with zero inclination. As an example of this, I have read that once in orbit, the space shuttle only has enough fuel to change it's inclination by about 3 degrees. One reason why they initially decided to abandon the Hubble Space telescope, since it has a 28 deg inclination, and once there, it would be impossible for the shuttle to get to the ISS in an emergency, since the ISS is at a 52 deg inclination.