Land Launch refers to a service product of Sea Launch SA. There is no entity or company called Land Launch. Sea Launch created the Land Launch offering to address lighter satellites directly into geosynchronous orbit or into geosynchronous transfer orbit, while Sea Launch continues to address the heavy satellite launch market.[1]

Zenit-3SL as a part of Land Launch program

In 2002, Sea Launch created Land Launch with its Russian and Ukrainian partners. The Russian and Ukrainian partners formed a Russian company Space International Services (SIS) to provide the launch services and launch operations. While the Sea Launch company maintains the rights to market Land Launch to the commercial community, the new entity SIS can market launch services to government customers.[2]

Land Launch uses Zenit rockets to conduct commercial satellite launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45/1 in Kazakhstan. Land Launch missions differ from Sea Launch missions in that the Zenit-3SLB is used, as opposed to the Zenit-3SL. The Zenit-3SLB utilizes substantially the same components as the Zenit-3SL but a smaller payload fairing is used to accommodate the smaller satellites launched from its northern operating location.

The first launch was conducted on 28 April 2008 at 05:00 GMT, when a Zenit-3SLB was used to place AMOS-3 (AMOS-60) a communications satellite, into a geosynchronous orbit.

A second launch was completed on February 26, 2009, when Land Launch successfully launched the Telstar 11N mission.

A commercial version of the two-stage Zenit-2M, the Zenit-2SLB, is also offered for commercial launches utilizing Land Launch. However, no launches have been contracted for this smaller rocket.

Launches

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Number Date Type Serial No. Launch Site Payload Payload Type Orbit Outcome Remarks
1 28 April 2008 [3] Zenit-3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site 45 AMOS-3 Commercial communications satellite Geostationary orbit Success First Land Launch flight
2 2009-02-26[4] Zenit 3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45 Telstar 11N Commercial communications satellite GTO Success
3 2009-06-22[5] Zenit 3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45 MEASAT-3a Commercial communications satellite GTO Success
4 2009-11-30[6] Zenit 3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45 Intelsat 15 Commercial communications satellite GTO Success
5 2011-10-05[7] Zenit 3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45 Intelsat 18 Commercial communications satellite GTO Success
6 2013-09-31[8] Zenit 3SLB Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45 AMOS-4 Commercial communications satellite GTO Success[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Land Launch Zenit Delivers Intelsat Satellite Into Orbit - SpaceNews.com". SpaceNews.com. December 2009. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  2. ^ de Selding, Peter (2 June 2014). "Space News Profile | Sergey Gugkaev, Chief Executive, Sea Launch AG".
  3. ^ "Amos 3 2008-022A". NASA.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Telstar 11N 2009-009A". NASA.
  5. ^ "MEASAT-3a satellite successfully launched" (PDF) (Press release). MEASAT. June 22, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  6. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (December 1, 2009). "Land Launch Zenit Delivers Intelsat Satellite Into Orbit". Space News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "Spaceflight Now | Land Launch Report | Mission Status Center". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07.
  8. ^ "Amos 4". NASA NSSDC.
  9. ^ Bergin, Chris (August 31, 2013). "Zenit 3SLB successfully launches AMOS-4 satellite". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
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