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Russian government plans Sea Launch project development

The unique project allows maintaining the intellectual potential that ensured the creation of the Energia rocket, which has the best technical characteristics in the world.

The Russian government has ordered to prepare proposals for the further development of the unique floating cosmodrome Sea Launch, Energia Space Corporation President Vitaly Lopota told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

"There are instructions from (Prime Minister Dmitry) Medvedev and (Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry) Rogozin to continue the Sea Launch (project) and prepare proposals for its prospects," he said.

The unique project allows maintaining the intellectual potential that ensured the creation of the Energia rocket, which has the best technical characteristics in the world, he noted.

"We maintain the technologies thanks to the Sea Launch project. Development of future super heavy rockets also largely depends on whether we will be able to maintain it," Lopota stressed.

The Sea Lunch international company was founded in 1995 with the participation of the American company Boeing, Russia's Energia, Norway's Kvaerner and Ukrainian’s design office Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash.

It is the major commercial international project to develop and use a sea-based rocket launch complex. The company and the floating cosmodrome are set up with the aim to fulfil the idea to launch rockets from the equator. As a result of the reorganization of the company in 2010, Energia Oversees Limited (the Energia corporation's subsidiary) received 95% of shares, three percent went to Boeing and two percent to the Norwegian shipbuilding company Eicher Solutions. Energia supplies DM boosters used as rocket stages to carry a payload. The corporation is also the head organization in the rocket sector and a technical controller of missions.