Russian Ambassador visits Sea Launch Home Port - August, 2009
The Sea Launch team was honored to host His Excellency Sergey Kislyak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, on August 25, 2009. Following a presentation by Dr. Valery Aliev, Sea Launch Program Director for RSC Energia, the Ambassador enjoyed a discussion and tour of the facilities with Kjell Karlsen, Sea Launch President and General Manager.

On the launch deck of the Odyssey Launch Platform are (L-R) Vladimir Vinokurov, Consul General/Russian Consulate, San Francisco; Larisa Adelman, Manager, Integration/Partner Operations Support; Sea Launch; Dr. Valery Aliev, Program Director, Energia/Sea Launch; H.E. Sergey Kislyak, Ambassador, Russian Federation; Kjell Karlsen, President and General Manager, Sea Launch; Veniamin Veretennikov, KBTM Representative/Sea Launch; Dr. Vladimir Zelman, Professor, University of Southern California.

Kjell Karlsen speaks at the APSCC 2006 Satellite Conference & Exhibition in Seoul, Korea - September, 2006
Kjell Karlsen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, speaks on a Launch Services CEO Roundtable panel at the APSCC 2006 Satellite Conference & Exhibition, September 26-28, in Seoul, Korea.

Sea Launch photo

Sea Launch photo

Groupe Parlementaire sur l'Espace - July, 2004
On July 15, 2004, Sea Launch hosted members of the Parliamentary Group on Space from the French National Assembly for a tour of the vessels at Sea Launch Home Port in Long Beach, Calif. At left is Dr. Paul Eckert, their Boeing host. Third from left is Tod Milton, Director of Corporate Support Services for Sea Launch, and tour guide. At far right is Christian Cabal, leader of the group and Depute de la Loire, who noted, "Sea Launch is the perfect example of innovation and high level professionalism in space technology."

Groupe Parlementaire sur l'Espace

Sea Launch Celebrates 5th Anniversary - March, 2004
The Sea Launch team is celebrating the 5th Anniversary of DemoSat, the inaugural launch of the Sea Launch system, which was successfully completed on March 27, 1999.This historic launch, from a floating platform positioned in the equatorial Pacific, validated the system concept and demonstrated its capability. It was the culmination of four years of intense development work performed by thousands of aerospace and marine professionals around the world. The payload for the first launch was designed to mimic the mass properties of a 4,500 kg commercial spacecraft.

Sea Launch Fifth Anniversary Commemorative Coin

Demonstrating the performance of a standard commercial mission, DemoSat executed a precisely controlled flight profile as one of the most highly instrumented test missions ever flown. More than 130 sensors measured payload environments, validating Sea Launch's ability to deliver the payload to its orbit - safely and accurately. The inaugural flight reflected the dedication of the world's most internationally integrated launch team and served as prologue for the many achievements that would come over the next five years. Through the harmonized efforts of Boeing, Energia, SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash, and Kvaerner employees, DemoSat demonstrated not only the Sea Launch system, but also the tremendous feats that people can achieve through global cooperation.

Distinguished Visitors at Sea Launch Home Port - December, 2003
On December 3, 2003, Sea Launch hosted top executives from XM Satellite Radio and managers from XM Radio's spacecraft manufacturer, Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), for a tour of the vessels at Sea Launch Home Port in Long Beach, Calif.

(L-R) Brad Crocker, Launch Vehicle Integration Manager, BSS; Terry Lamb, XM Radio Spacecraft Program Manager, BSS; Keith Volkert, Consultant to XM Radio; Jim Gallagher, Director of Satellite Programs, XM Radio; Regina Cates; guest of XM Radio; Jeff Snyder, Sr. Vice President, Space and Ground Systems, XM Radio; Enrico Attanasio, Systems Engineering, BSS.

(L-R) Derek de Bastos, Vice President Engineering, XM Radio; Gary Parsons, Chairman of the Board, XM Radio; Dr. Stell Patsiokas, Exec. Vice Pressident, Technology and Engineering, XM Radio; Jim Maser, President and General Manager, Sea Launch; John Dealy, Special Assistant to CEO, XM Radio; Joe Titlebaum, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, XM Radio; and Anne Dealy, Advisor to XM Radio.

Sea Launch names Ken Hill to lead Launch Operations
LONG BEACH, Calif., September 6, 2002 – Sea Launch has named Ken Hill to the position of Vice President, Launch Operations, effective immediately. In this role, Hill is responsible for the leadership, management and coordination of the Sea Launch team.

Hill has served in an acting capacity in this position since July, following the departure of Don Carter, who moved to another position within Boeing. As Vice President of Launch Operations, Hill is the operational focal for all aspects of marine and rocket segment integration, strategic and campaign planning, equatorial launch operations and overall management of Home Port facilities and vessels.

Prior to joining Sea Launch in 2001, Hill accumulated more than thirty years of distinguished experience as a leader and manager of numerous Defense and State Department programs. Most recently, he was Deputy Chief/Chief Operating Officer of the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was a member of the U.S. Ambassador’s Executive Steering Committee and principal Country Team briefer.

Hill has a B.A. degree in Business Administration from National University (San Diego) and a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College (Newport, R.I.). He is on the Board of Directors of the International Business Association, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Sea Launch Company, LLC, based in Long Beach, Calif., provides reliable, cost-effective, heavy lift launch services for commercial satellite customers. Beginning operations in 1999, Sea Launch has completed seven successful missions and has a current backlog of 16 firm launch contracts. As the world's only equatorial launch service, Sea Launch offers the optimal starting point for commercial spacecraft heading to Geostationary Orbit.

Sea Launch names Gary Goodwin to head Contracts and Procurement
LONG BEACH, Calif., July 31, 2002 – Sea Launch has appointed Gary Goodwin to the position of Vice President, Contracts and Procurement, effective July 29. In this role, Goodwin is responsible for all contractual and procurement relationships with Sea Launch’s customers, partners and subcontractors. He replaces Richard Williams, who now serves the company as Vice President for Project Development.

Prior to joining the Sea Launch team, Goodwin was Director, Launch Services Contracts, for Space Systems/Loral where he was responsible for the negotiation and administration of satellite Launch Service Agreements. Before that, he was Manager, Contracts and Subcontracts/Procurement, at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems, where he directed a team of acquisition and contracts professionals and also served as principle staff to the Federal Systems Director for Contracts. Goodwin’s career also includes contracting positions with Satellite Business Systems, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Navy.

Goodwin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Virginia Tech and completed graduate studies in business administration at George Washington University.

Sea Launch Company, LLC, based in Long Beach, Calif., provides reliable, cost-effective, heavy lift launch services for commercial satellite customers. The international partners include Boeing (U.S.), Kvaerner (Norway), RSC Energia (Russia) and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash (Ukraine). With operations beginning in 1999, Sea Launch has completed seven successful missions and has a current backlog of 16 firm launch contracts. As the world's only equatorial launch service, Sea Launch offers the optimal starting point for spacecraft heading to Geostationary Orbit.

Sea Launch congratulates its Yuzhnoye/Yuzhmash partner on successful flight
On Sept. 25, Sea Launch congratulated its Yuzhnoye/Yuzhmash partner on the successful flight of a two-stage Zenit launched from Baikonur. The Zenit-2 lifted a military payload into Low Earth Orbit weighing more than 10,000 kg (more than 22,040 lbs.).

Dr. Stanislav Konyukhov, Designer General of Yuzhnoye, said, "The successful launch of the Zenit-2 launch vehicle with the Enisei-2 spacecraft was another proof of the unique engineering capabilities and high reliability of this launch vehicle."

The significance of this year's second successful launch from Baikonur is the growing reliability of the two-stage Zenit vehicle, which is designed and manufactured in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, by Sea Launch partners SDO Yuzhmash and PO Yuzhnoye. Derivatives of these two stages are used in Sea Launch's three-stage Zenit-3SL vehicle, which also includes the Block DM upper stage, built by another Sea Launch partner, RSC Energia, based in Moscow, Russia.

Distinguished Visitors at Sea Launch Home Port - September, 2000

L-R - Don Carter, VP Operations, Sea Launch; Michael Mott, General Manager, Boeing Reusable Space Systems; Senator John Glenn; Dr. Sheila Widnall, Former Secretary of the Air Force; Will Trafton, President, Sea Launch; Amy Buhrig, VP, Marketing & Sales, Sea Launch; Tod Milton, Director, Security, Sea Launch.

L-R - Tom Parkinson, Program Manager, Boeing Expendable Launch Systems; Art Stephenson, Center Director, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Bo Bejmuk, General Manager, Sea Launch; Dr. Ed Stone, Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Dr. Joseph Allen, (Former Astronaut) Chairman, Veridian Corp.; Ellen Whelan, Vice President and General Counsel, Sea Launch.

Sea Launch President Will Trafton (red tie) greets Leonid Kuchma,
President of Ukraine (blue tie) during a visit to Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

Space Systems/Loral Signs with Sea Launch for Telstar-8
Long Beach, Calif., September 11, 2000 -- Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR), has signed an agreement with Sea Launch, the ocean-based launch services company, to launch the Telstar-8 satellite in 2002.

The contract, signed July 26, came two days before the successful launch of PAS-9, in which Sea Launch delivered the satellite to orbit with "bull's eye" accuracy. That mission reaffirmed the reliability of the system, the performance of the rocket and the extraordinary teamwork of the Sea Launch partners.

"This agreement represents yet another significant expression of customer confidence in Sea Launch," said Will Trafton, president of Sea Launch. "It is confidence not only in our capability demonstrated to date, but also in our future as we grow our way to 5700 kg performance. Telstar-8 is the heaviest payload on our current manifest and this launch will demonstrate the robust capacity of our Zenit-3SL."

The rocket will lift the 5500-kg. (12,125 lb.) Telstar-8 satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit from the Odyssey Launch Platform, which is positioned on the equator at 154 degrees West Longitude. Built by SS/L for Loral Skynet, Telstar-8 is one of the most powerful communications satellites ever designed. It is the first to be built on SS/L's extended 1300 bus and will carry 92 transponders with a total end-of-life power of 16 kw. The payload will include Ku-band, C-band, and Ka-band transponders, providing coverage across North and South America.

Sea Launch provides commercial satellite customers, the most direct and cost-effective route to geosynchronous transfer orbit. From its ocean-based launch site, the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or place a payload into a higher perigee, helping satellite operators attain a longer satellite service capability. Launching from the equator also provides value-added operational benefits, including increased performance and launch availability.

The Sea Launch multinational partnership includes Boeing Commercial Space Company of Kent, Wash.; RSC Energia of Moscow, Russia; SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine; and the Kvaerner of Oslo, Norway. For more information, visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com

Space Systems/Loral is a premier designer, manufacturer and integrator of satellites and satellite systems. SS/L also provides a range of related services, including mission control operations and procurement of launch services. Based in Palo Alto, California, SS/L serves an international base of commercial and governmental customers in applications such as broadband digital communications, wireless telephony, direct-to-home broadcast, environmental monitoring and air traffic control. SS/L is ISO 9001 certified. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com

"The move will enable us to co-locate both the partnership and the Home Port business and technology initiatives," said Will Trafton, president of Sea Launch. "We established our Home Port in Long Beach Harbor in 1996 and now we are successfully operating out of these facilities. Our partners recently voted unanimously to move the management of the business to Long Beach to become more effective and efficient. We find this environment very conducive for conducting and developing business both locally and globally."

Sea Launch plans to begin occupancy in Long Beach in the third quarter with about 30 people working in the new Long Beach offices. Depending on the particular requirements of the launch schedule, there are approximately 100-400 people working at the Home Port, including employees from partner companies: Boeing (U.S.), RSC Energia (Russia), SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash (Ukraine) and the Kvaerner (Norway).

"The transition of Sea Launch's world headquarters from the Cayman Islands to Long Beach further identifies our community as the center of a growing technology sector that includes a burgeoning number of space-based businesses," said Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill. "The economic impact on Long Beach will be significant and reinforces the decision we made to build a future based on tourism, international trade and technology."

The Sea Launch Home Port facilities cover 16.5 acres on the Navy Mole in Long Beach Harbor, housing offices, warehouses, a payload processing facility and a pier that is home to two ocean-going vessels - Sea Launch Commander, a command and assembly ship, and the Odyssey Launch Platform.

Sea Launch receives customer satellites at the customized dockside facilities. Following the completion of fueling and encapsulation in the state-of-the-art payload processing facility, the integrated payload unit is transferred to the assembly & command ship for integration with the launch vehicle. While at Home Port, the horizontally integrated rocket is then transferred to the launch platform, where it is stored in an environmentally controlled hangar during transit to the equator.

Approximately a week before launch, Sea Launch takes the two vessels to the launch site at the equator, at 154 degrees West Longitude. The equatorial launch site provides the most direct route to orbit, offering customers maximum lift capacity for increased payload mass or extended spacecraft life. The commercial communication satellites are then launched into orbit from the marine-based operations, which reduce launch infrastructure and minimize operational cost.

"We are humbled by such a great honor at this early stage in our history," said Trafton, in accepting the award before several hundred peers attending the Space Symposium. "But the acknowledgement is particularly fitting for our international partnership of American, Russian, Ukranian and Norwegian companies. While we are frequently challenged by the very innovation we have created, each of the partner organizations is proud to be a part of this unique effort to provide timely and efficient commercial launch services. We appreciate this recognition and hope we can pave the way for continued international cooperation and collaboration in commercial space developments."

The Space Foundation annually recognizes an individual or organization that has demonstrated lifetime achievement, breakthrough space technology, or program or product success deemed to represent a critical milestone in the evolution of space exploration and development. Previous recipients of the award include the NASA/Boeing International Space Station Team, General Thomas S. Moorman, Jr., and Capt. James Lovell, Commander, Apollo 13.

Sea Launch's inaugural demonstration launch on March 27, 1999, and equally successful first commercial launch of the DIRECTV 1-R broadcast satellite on October 9, 1999, validated the program concept and demonstrated overall system capability. On the third mission, on March 12, 2000, an anomaly developed during the operation of the second stage and the rocket failed to reach orbital velocity. The Sea Launch Failure Review Oversight Board is currently assessing the data. Return to flight is anticipated in the Summer of 2000.

The Sea Launch partnership combines the expertise of international aerospace and maritime companies to provide commercial launch services from an ocean-based platform in the Pacific, situated on the equator. Partners in the Sea Launch venture are: Boeing Commercial Space Company of Kent, Washington; RSC Energia of Moscow, Russia; KDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine; and the Kvaerner of Oslo, Norway.

The 200-foot Zenit-3SL launch vehicle will lift a 6,050 lb. (2,750 kg.) ICO F-1 mobile communications satellite, built by Hughes Space & Communications Company in El Segundo, Calif., into Medium Earth Orbit, about 6,400 miles (10,350 kilometers) from Earth. This spacecraft is to be the first in a series of global communications satellites for ICO Global Communications, a global mobile communications company based in London.

The launch is scheduled precisely at 6:49 a.m. (Pacific Time), on March 12, from a launch site situated 1,400 miles southeast of Hawaii.

"We are excited to send off our two vessels for this first mission of the year," said Bohdan Bejmuk, vice president and general manager of the Sea Launch Home Port. "We now look forward to our next launch in two weeks. We are delighted to be the first launch provider for the ICO system of global satellites."

Sea Launch begins 2000 with a two-for-two launch success record, including a successful demonstration launch in March 1999, and an equally successful first commercial launch in October 1999. The "bull's eye" accuracy of these launches proved the reliability of the system, the performance of the rocket and the extraordinary teamwork of the international Sea Launch partnership.

During the 11-day transit to the launch site, the Sea Launch expendable launch vehicle is positioned horizontally at the top of the self-propelled launch platform in an environmentally controlled hangar. Upon arrival at the launch site, located at the equator, 154 degrees West Longitude, the 20-story high launch platform will be ballasted to its launch depth and oriented to minimize wind and wave effects. A day before liftoff, the rocket will be rolled out of the hangar and automatically erected to a vertical position on the launch pad.

Prior to the departure from Home Port, Sea Launch and Hughes personnel conducted an extensive series of tests and launch-readiness activities. These included encapsulation of the ICO F-1 satellite within the fairing, and transfer of the spacecraft from the payload processing facility to the Sea Launch Commander. Once on board the Commander, the team mated the payload unit with the three-stage rocket. With that accomplished, the integrated vehicle was then transferred to the Launch Platform for transit to the launch site.

Building on proven performance and flight-tested hardware, Sea Launch combines the world's premier aerospace and marine expertise to provide satellite and end-user customers with superior value, performance and fully integrated commercial launch service capabilities. The Zenit-3SL rocket, configured to enhance reliability and meet the program's performance objectives, is currently capable of delivering 11,000 lbs. (5,250 kg) to geostationary transfer orbit. Sea Launch has 19 firm launches on its current manifest, including the ICO mission.

Sea Launch provides commercial satellite customers with the most direct and cost-effective route to orbit, without requiring a change in flight inclination. Launching from the equator offers value-added operational benefits, including increased performance, high launch availability and reduced launch infrastructure costs. From the ocean-based launch site, the robust Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or place a payload into a higher perigee, enhancing the lifespan of satellite service capability.

The Sea Launch international partnership includes:

• Boeing Commercial Space Company of Kent, Wash. - spacecraft integration and the payload accommodations, and management of overall Home Port operations
• The Kvaerner of Oslo, Norway - marine engineering and operations
• RSC Energia of Moscow, Russia - Block-DM upper stage and its integration with the launch vehicle
• SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Ukraine - first two stages of the launch vehicle and launch support operations

Paula Korn, 562.951.7348
Email: paula.korn@sea-launch.com

"Allen has made tremendous contributions toward the success of the Sea Launch venture and we all are extremely grateful for his efforts and a job well done," said Trafton.

Trafton brings a strong legacy of space experience to his new position. Most recently he served as president of International Launch Services (ILS) and prior to that, held a senior management position with NASA as associate administrator for the Office of Space Flight.

Bo Bejmuk Receives Lloyd V. Birkner Award
Bo Bejmuk, vice president and general manager of the U.S. Sea Launch Home Port facility in Long Beach has been named the 1999 recipient of the Lloyd V. Berkner Award. The award is given annually by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) for outstanding contributions to the commercial use of space technology. Bejmuk recently accepted the award during the society's annual conference held this year in Pasadena, California.

"Receiving this award is a tremendous honor to be shared by every member of the Sea Launch team around the world," Bejmuk said. "Their teamwork and commitment to excellence has made this a truly remarkable year for international cooperation, the commercial space industry and for all of us at Sea Launch. We are very grateful."