Sea Launch Sold!...to Boeing?

[fredinno]

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/roscosmos-sells-troubled-commercial-space-company-sea-launch/564042.html

http://nextbigfuture.com/2016/03/russia-sells-commercial-space-company.html

Quote

Sea Launch was founded in 1995 as a joint-venture between Russia's largest space company Energia, U.S. aerospace giant Boeing, with participation of firms in Norway and Ukraine. The concept is simple: a floating launch platform that sails to the Earth's equator to reduce launch costs.

But despite the commercial promise, Sea Launch has struggled to take flight. It filed bankruptcy in 2009, and has undergone several periods of inactivity due to technical failures. The company emerged from bankruptcy a year later with Energia taking control of 85% of the company.

But the problems continued. In 2014, the company faced procurement difficulties as relations between Russia and Ukraine collapsed in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Sea Launch is designed to work with Zenit rockets — built in Ukraine, but some 70 percent of the components are Russian.

Roscosmos has at various times indicated it might refit the platform to support the lightest version of its new Angara rocket, but a change in ownership of the project may put these plans on hold. 

Quote

Analysis

Most likely the buyer was Boeing, because they hold a judgment against Russians for $365 million. (aka: They may have got Sea Launch as payment for a related debt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Launch#Concerns_and_investigations  "In September 2015, Boeing won a court judgement against the Russian and Ukrainian partners within Sea Launch. The decision sets up a court trial planned for November 2015 where Boeing will argue that it was not properly reimbursed for US$356 million of expenses incurred while operating the Sea Launch launch system.^[14] ")

In 2014, Sea launch faced procurement difficulties as relations between Russia and Ukraine collapsed in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Sea Launch is designed to work with Zenit rockets — built in Ukraine, but some 70 percent of the components are Russian.

There are two possible ways this can develop from now -- either the Zenit rocket will get re-motorized to RD-815 engine to become an all-Ukrainian vehicle or Russians will try to renew the existing sourcing scheme with RD-170. Either way Ukraine wins. Russian plans to shut off Ukraine from commercial space have failed.

If Boeing bought it, then it may be integrated into ULA (or not- Lockheed Martin still operates the Athena rocket internally, though it is still on hiatus, and is unlikely to get any new launches in the future).

However, the Zenit rockets are unlikely to be very useful for ULA, Atlas/Vulcan can cover its payload capacity, and most of the rocket is Ukranian or Russian. Russian components are very bad for ULA, as that's the primary reason Atlas is being moved away from, however, I'm not as sure about Ukranian components, which may be possible for ULA to use without repercussions, and provide a loophole.

The launch platforms may be useful for Atlas VI/Vulcan, though.

Of course, it is speculative. China could have bought it, for all we know. They showed a bit of interest in the system .

[fredinno]

No one interested in Discussion?

[Nibb31]

Sea Launch has been sold, but the identity of the buyer hasn't been disclosed. Citing Boeing is pure speculation.

The only assets of any value are the ship and the platform, both of which are obsolete and were specifically rigged for a rocket that doesn't exist anymore. The intellectual property of the Zenit launcher still belongs to Ukraine or Russia. If Boeing was interested in reviving the Sea Launch concept with Vulcan, it would probably be cheaper to go and buy a more recent oil platform and start from scratch. But I really don't think they are. They have no shortage of launch facilities that they can use.

My opinion is that the assets were either sold to a ship company to be converted into some other maritime use, or to a scrapper.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Nibb31

[wumpus]

It sounds like any attempt to sell it to anyone but Boeing would have to include $365 million, plus enough for Boeing to let go of it.  I'd be fairly surprised if this went to anyone but Boeing.  I'd also be fairly impressed if Boeing wants it for any other reason that to keep the IP away from patent trolls (or possibly troll spacex and other competitors).

[Nibb31]

I doubt there is much IP in Sea Launch. The IP for Zenit still belongs to Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Ukraine. There is no reason for Boeing to buy it. Also, Boeing is a publically traded corporation, which would have to disclose any acquisitions.

[fredinno]

 

8 hours ago, Nibb31 said:

I doubt there is much IP in Sea Launch. The IP for Zenit still belongs to Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Ukraine. There is no reason for Boeing to buy it. Also, Boeing is a publically traded corporation, which would have to disclose any acquisitions.

Well, someone did buy it. There is really little reason for anyone to buy it, so just the fact it was sold is surprising.

[Leszek]

How much was it sold for?  Perhaps it was sold for scrap?

[fredinno]

1 minute ago, Leszek said:

How much was it sold for?  Perhaps it was sold for scrap?

We only know it was sold.

[GDJ]

If it was outdated as speculated, it might have been sold for scrap.

[fredinno]

1 minute ago, GDJ said:

If it was outdated as speculated, it might have been sold for scrap.

Zenit isn't outdated, it's being retired due to politics (and even that retirement is unconfirmed). Maybe the platform is, though.

[GDJ]

Just now, fredinno said:

Zenit isn't outdated, it's being retired due to politics (and even that retirement is unconfirmed). Maybe the platform is, though.

Yeah, I was referring to Sea Launch (OP subject).

[Nibb31]

Apparently it was sold to a certain Vladislav Filev, owner of the S7 airline in Russia for "billions of rubles" (but with a ruble at 0.015 dollars, that doesn't mean much).

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2951522

Edited April 3, 2016 by Nibb31

[fredinno]

18 hours ago, Nibb31 said:

Apparently it was sold to a certain Vladislav Filev, owner of the S7 airline in Russia for "billions of rubles" (but with a ruble at 0.015 dollars, that doesn't mean much).

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2951522

Ah, so what does that mean? Junkyard?

[Nibb31]

The guy has a militiary space background and currently runs an airline. Maybe he wants to pull a Branson and diversify into the commercial launch business. He still needs a rocket though...

[fredinno]

12 hours ago, Nibb31 said:

The guy has a militiary space background and currently runs an airline. Maybe he wants to pull a Branson and diversify into the commercial launch business. He still needs a rocket though...

Zenit might still work, if the politics cools down (unlikely at this point). Russia might want a replacement for the Zenit-class rockets though, Angara doesn't cover it, and Soyuz-5 is in one chaotic development cycle, and may never happen due to budget cuts.

If he allies with ArianeSpace, he can make a replacement for the ArianeSpace Soyuz, which is prone to political madness due to its Russian Origin. Maybe use a 3m diameter LH2 rocket with SRBs.

But the US, International and Chinese Markets look saturated.