Future of U.S. sea-based launch venture questioned

Speculation about the future of U.S. private rocket venture Sea Launch arose on Thursday after a rocket carrying a communications satellite exploded on the company 's Pacific Ocean launch pad near Los Angeles.

Tuesday's explosion may have damaged the floating vessel structural integrity and is put a question mark on the future of the rocket venture, industry analysts said.

Sea Launch, the Long Beach-based company, said it is trying to determine if the structural integrity and seaworthiness of the converted oil rig has been compromised, although the rocket blast may only have caused limited damage to the platform.

The accident on Tuesday destroyed a satellite owned by Luxembourg-based SES Global, the world's largest satellite broadcaster, and it also may delay future launches by EchoStar Communications Corp., DirecTV Group Inc. and Hughes Communications Inc.

Sea Launch, a joint venture of Boeing and its partners, was formed to provide an alternative to land-based launch platforms, and has advantages in sending satellites into geostationary orbits at fixed points above the equator.

Analysts said the failure may prompt Boeing, who owns 40 percent of Sea Launch, to rethink its involvement in the venture, despite a Boeing statement Thursday that it remains committed to the project.

The rocket that exploded, a Zenit-3SL, was carrying an NSS-8 satellite built at the Boeing factory in Los Angeles for SES Global. It was valued at more than 300 million U.S. dollars.

Source: Xinhua