 Zenit-3SL | |
| Function | Carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Yuzhmash (Zenit) RKK Energia (Block-DM) Boeing (fairing) |
| Country of origin | Ukraine |
| Size | |
| Height | 59.6 metres (196 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.9 metres (13 ft) |
| Mass | 462,200 kilograms (1,019,000 lb) |
| Stages | Three |
| Capacity | |
| Payload toGTO | |
| Mass | 6,160 kilograms (13,580 lb)[1] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Zenit |
| Derivative work | Zenit-3SLB |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Ocean Odyssey |
| Total launches | 36 |
| Success(es) | 32 |
| Failure(s) | 3 |
| Partial failure(s) | 1 |
| First flight | 28 March 1999 (test flight) |
| Last flight | 26 May 2014 (Eutelsat 3B) |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 1RD-171 |
| Maximum thrust | 8,180 kilonewtons (1,840,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 337 sec |
| Burn time | 150 seconds |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Powered by | 1RD-120 1RD-8 |
| Maximum thrust | 912 kilonewtons (205,000 lbf) 79.5 kilonewtons (17,900 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 349 sec |
| Burn time | 315 seconds |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Third stage –Block DM-SL | |
| Powered by | 1RD-58M |
| Maximum thrust | 84.9 kilonewtons (19,100 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 352 sec |
| Burn time | 650 seconds |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
TheZenit-3SL was anexpendablecarrier rocket operated bySea Launch. First flown in 1999,[2] it was launched 36 times, with three failures and one partial failure. It was a member of theZenit family of rockets, and is built by theYuzhnoye Design Bureau.RKK Energia produced theBlock DM-SLupper stage, whilst thepayload fairing was produced byBoeing.[3] Launches were conducted from theOcean Odyssey platform anchored on theequator in thePacific Ocean, at a point with 154°Wlongitude, about 370 kilometres east ofKiritimati.
The Zenit-3SL design began in the late 1980s as the Zenit-3, a proposed replacement for theProton-K, which would have used aZenit-2 rocket with aBlock D upper stage. This proposal was shelved after thedissolution of theSoviet Union, as Russia inherited the space programme, however the Zenit was manufactured inUkrainian SSR. Boeing became involved in the programme in 1994. The design was subsequently modified, with a modified version of theBlock DM replacing the Block D.[2][4]
Sea Launch integrated the rockets inCalifornia, and transfers them to Odyssey via theSea Launch Commander for transportation to the launch site. Once at the launch site, the rocket was erected on the platform, and a three-day countdown was initiated. The countdown was fully automated,[5] and personnel were evacuated from the launch platform toCommander prior to launch.
Zenit-3SL launches predominantly carriedcommunications satellites intogeosynchronous transfer orbits. As of 2009, the only payload to be launched by a Zenit-3SL that was not a communications satellite was aDemoSat, on the maiden flight. The only launch to be conducted to an orbit other than GTO was that ofICO F-1, which was intended to be placed intomedium Earth orbit, however the rocket failed to reach orbit.
Of thirty-six rockets launched, three failed, with a fourth placing its payload into an incorrect, but recoverable orbit. The first failure occurred during the third flight, on 12 March 2000, when a software error resulted in the premature cutoff of the second stage, leaving theICO F-1 satellite unable to reach orbit.[6]
On 29 June 2004, during the launch ofApstar 5, the upper stage shut down 54 seconds early due to a wiring fault,[7] leaving the satellite in a lower than planned orbit. The spacecraft raised itself to the correct orbit by means of its onboard manoeuvring engines, at the expense of fuel intended for stationkeeping once in the correctorbit.
On 30 January 2007, a Zenit-3SL exploded on the launch pad after an engine failure caused by debris in theturbopump. The payload on that flight was theNSS-8communications satellite forSES New Skies.[8] This caused a considerable amount of downtime whilst damage to the launch platform was repaired.
On 1 February 2013, during the launch of Intelsat-27, a Zenit-3SL launch vehicle suffered a premature engine shutdown, as the rocket strayed from its lift-off trajectory, plunging into the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch.[9]
 Ukrainian launch vehicles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cyclone (Tsyklon) |  | |
| Zenit | ||
| Mayak | ||
| Dnipro (Dnepr) | ||
| International projects | ||
