The evolution of the project “Sea launch” of spacecraft

For launching a spacecraft to the geostationary orbit, it is desirable to start from the area closest to the equator that will allow the launch of vehicle to maximize the speed of rotation of the Earth. To resolve this problem in 1995 in California the Sea Launch Company was registered. For launches of satellites a two-stage rocket “Zenit” was used. Launcher and the technological equipment were mounted on a modified self-propelled oil platform. From 1999 to the conservation of the project “Sea launch” in 2014, with a floating platform in the Equatorial waters of the Pacific ocean 36 launches of spacecraft were made. However, in 2009 Sea Launch ran into financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy, and the company agreed with the RSC “Energia” on the exit from bankruptcy. And it was reported that RSC Energia sold commercial spaceport to the Russian airline, S7 Airlines. However, both technical and economic problems will remain at the same level. Therefore the possibility of more cost-effective launch of the SPACECRAFT using submarines was studied. Such experience has already taken place. On July 7, 1998 for the first time from a submerged position with missile submarine cruiser of the Northern fleet project “Novomoskovsk” with the waters of the Barents sea with the help of the carrier rocket two micro-satellites were launched into low earth orbit. And on May 26, 2006, also from the waters of the Barents sea from the nuclear submarine “Yekaterinburg” using rocket “Shtil-1” the satellite “Compass-2” was launched into heliosynchronous the orbit. The material shows promising start of the spacecraft from any point of the World Ocean at different orbit using submarines, which is more reliable and efficient than launches from the application project that uses the combination of a launch platform and Assembly-command ship. A comparison of the dimensions of the silos of the submarines, at least, those which have already been carried out launches and mass-overall characteristics of the spacecraft for various purposes, confirms this possibility.