Sea Launch Project

Typical Orbital Insertion Profile

LAUNCH SITE

The main launch site for launches under the Sea Launch project is an equatorial area located near Christmas island, Kiribati Republic (with coordinates 154њW, 0њN).

GROUND TRACK

АУ-РН -Launch vehicle power flight phase.
РП - impact areas for jettisoned components.
D1 - first upper stage ignition
D2 - second upper stage ignition
D3 - SC separation from the upper stage
D4 - apogee passage (latitude is 0њ, shown schematically).

TYPICAL ORBITAL INSERTION PROFILE

Typical spacecraft orbital insertion profile includes several flight operations:

• insertion into intermediate orbit;
• insertion into reference orbit;
• insertion into target orbit;
• SC separation;
• telemetry monitoring support, transfer of the upper stage to a storage orbit;
• upper stage flight in the storage orbit.

Two stages of the launch vehicle perform insertion into an open negative-perigee intermediate orbit, and with two burns of the upper stage main engine the spacecraft is inserted into a specified target orbit. After SC separation, the upper stage is transferred to a storage orbit, where propellant residues and gases are vented overboard.

Throughout the mission, telemetry data are transmitted to the assembly and command ship and to the mission control center (Korolev, Moscow region). To transmit data, TDRSS relay satellites and Intelsat communications satellites are used.

Upper stage flight is controlled from the Mission Control Center. For reception and transmission of telemetry data, Russian ground measuring stations are used.

Typical events for a nominal flight path

Data transmissions during upper stage flight control