Report: Angara-A5 Could Replace Zenit in Sea Launch

Hello reader!

It follows an article published on the day (01/14) in the website “Parabolic Arc” noting that the Russian Rocket Angara-A5 could replace the Rocket Zenit in Sea Launch Company.

Duda Falcão

News

Report: Angara-A5 Could

Replace Zenit in Sea Launch

By Doug Messier

January 14, 2015, at 12:44 pm

(Credit: Khrunichev)

Inaugural Angara A5 launch

Here’s some more news about Sea Launch via TASS:

Russia’s new heavy-lift Angara-A5 rocket may replace the Ukrainian Zenit rocket in the Sea Launch project, a source in the space and rocket sector told TASS on Wednesday.

The announcement was made at the recent board of directors meeting of the RKK Energia space corporation. “The documents have already been submitted to the United Rocket and Space Corporation,” the source said.

Angara-A5 can launch up to 4,600 kg into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) from Plesetsk, which is Russia’s northern launch site. The rocket’s payload capacity would be higher if it was used on Sea Launch, which tows a floating platform to the equator. Zenit, which is used to launch communications satellites, can place payloads weighing up to 6,160 kilograms into GTO.

Although Sea Launch is majority owned by Energia, the floating launch platform and command ship are located in California. Officials have been looking to move operations elsewhere; in December, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said talks were underway with Brazilian officials. Brazil’s Alcantara Launch Center is located near the equator.

Sea Launch has struggled to find its footing in the communications launch industry due to periodic launch failures. The company has taken a bit of a hiatus until mid-2015 due to a light launch manifest.

A move to Angara-A5 would be a blow to Ukrainian’s two design bureaus, Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash, which produce the Zenit boosters. A separate company, Land Launch, operates the Zenit out of Baikonur. However, the company doesn’t launch very frequently.

The move would be a win for Khrunichev, the Russian company that builds the Angara launch vehicle family. Like the rest of the Russian space industry, Khrunichev is being absorbed into the United Rocket and Space Corporation as part of a mass consolidation.

Angara is a modular family of launch vehicles capable of placing between 3.8 and 35 metric tons int low Earth orbit.

Source: Website Parabolic Arc - http://www.parabolicarc.com/

Comentário: Bom leitor se realmente o Brasil está negociando com a Sea Launch como já havíamos anunciado aqui no Blog em dezembro passado (veja aqui), a troca do foguete Zenit pelo Angara-A5 por esta companhia tornas as coisas mais interessantes para o Brasil, já que os foguetes da família Angara não tem o grau de toxicidade do trambolho tóxico ucraniano Cyclone-4, além de que um acordo como este cumprirá o objetivo inicial do Centro, ou seja, a sua utilização como um centro de lançamento comercial de nível internacional. Entretanto, só o fato do foguete não usar combustíveis tóxicos não transforma esta iniciativa em um bom negócio para o nosso país. Para tanto compensações de ordem financeiras, científicas e tecnológicas seriam de fundamental importância para tornar este possível acordo realmente benéfico para o Brasil. Entretanto temos de levar em consideração que mesmo com a possível participação do Comando da Aeronáutica (COMAER) e do Ministério da Defesa (MD) nesta suposta negociação, a direção da mesma deve estar sendo conduzida sob o olhar da “Ogra” e de seus energúmenos de plantão, sendo ai justamente o grande problema, já que neste contexto o que motivará as características deste acordo serão questões de ordem política, e não cientifica e tecnológica como deveria ser, e quem sabe até mesmo por questões não tão nobres. Afinal quem com porcos se mistura, farelo come. Enfim... vamos aguardar pelos acontecimentos.