A FLOATING, OFFSHORE SATELLITE LAUNCHING FACILITY

This paper describes a concept for a floating, offshore satellite laun ching facility that could meet present and future launching needs whil e providing for greater environmental acceptability, improved safety a nd Economic competitiveness with coastal, land-based systems. This pap er pertains only to information/communications-type satellite payloads and their attendant systems. However, the floating facility concept c an be scaled up and expanded to handle the largest of systems. Since E quatorial orbits are required for most communications-type satellites, it is desired to locate a launch facility reasonably close to the equ ator. In this way, the desired equatorial orbit can be achieved quickl y and efficiently requiring less fuel and allowing for a larger satell ite payload. The southern most offshore region off the coast of the Bi g Island of Hawaii is suggested as a possible site. This concept was f irst proposed in 1992 at the 18th Meeting of the U.S.-Japan Marine Fac ilities Panel. This paper provides the supporting rationale and overal l system requirements for the system. Since the concept was proposed i n 1992, such a system is now being developed by Sea Launch Co., a cons ortium of four barge corporations, which plans to make their first lau nch late in 1998. Their system has surprisingly included many of the f eatures and rationale first proposed by the authors in 1992.