Day 13 Launch Day L-0

"SEA LAUNCH DELIVERING ON OUR COMMITMENT

ONE SATISFIED CUSTOMER AT A TIME..."

 

Launch Day is off to a great start with a beautiful sunrise...

 

What an incredible day for our customer Eutelsat and the whole Sea Launch program.  But to be a little selfish, it was also an incredible day for me personally as I was finally able to witness the Zenit 3SL take off from the launch platform with my own eyes. For the past 12 years I witnessed 31 of Sea Launches 34 launches on the big screen sitting in the comfort of the Operations Center at Home Port or in the Launch Control Center (LCC) onboard the ACS. I have never witnessed a Zenit 3SL liftoff with my very own eyes standing on one of the ACS’s many open decks.  Today as I was returning to the LCC from breakfast and witnessed the beautiful sunrise, I thought that maybe it would be a good day to step outside the LCC at L-2 minutes and watch the launch.  So I stopped by my cabin and picked up my camera with a 400mm f2.8 zoom lens and headed back to the LCC with a plan in mind.  For those who have never had the opportunity to watch a rocket launch through your very own eyes, I can only draw a parallel to watching a sporting event from the comfort of your sofa versus from the energized stadium where you can not only see the action but you feel it and hear every scream, grunt, hit that takes place on the field.  There is nothing like being there to understand the true experience.

Through the remainder of the countdown, I continued to monitor progress and noted that everything was proceeding smoothly with the exception of weather balloons, which is another story.  Coming up to L-2 minutes each segment was “GO” for launch and there were no known issues in work.  At L-2minutes I removed my headset informed Chief Systems Engineer, John Riedman that I was stepping outside and proceeded to the Shelter Deck only to find the rest of the team not supporting the countdown lined up against the rail, cameras pointed in the direction of the Zenit 3SL sitting atop the launch platform.  I have to admit that I was caught a bit off guard when I saw all the people standing there waiting for liftoff.  After all of those years sitting inside the LCC I never really gave thought as to what was going on outside the LCC other than there is a rocket lifting off from a floating platform and that most everyone is watching from a workstation somewhere within the ACS just as I was. 

Luckily I was able to find a free bit of railing next to a column in which I could rest my camera against to stabilize it as much as possible from the ships motion. As I was adjusting the camera settings I was thinking how am I going to know when liftoff is going to occur since I cannot hear the countdown through my headset.  To my surprise a familiar voice came on the ships PA system stating readiness for terminal count, and sure enough it started 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,…wait did I put in the memory stick?; ok yes…3, 2, 1 and then a bright orange flash appeared directly under the erect Zenit 3SL followed by large plumes of white smoke/water vapor expelling from underneath both sides of the launch platform, but no sound, at this point it was all visual.  As the Zenit reached altitude after about 5 seconds you could start to hear the thunderous rumble of the main engine pumping out 1.6 million pounds of thrust.  Over the next 15 to 20 seconds that thunderous rumble increased to peak volume and next came the pressure waves that were just strong enough for your body to sense. The Zenit 3SL and its Energomash built RD-171M main engine is stimulating 3 of the body’s 5 senses, sight, sound and touch with only taste and smell not invited to the party.  This is truly an emotional experience and I can guarantee that there was not one person standing out on the ACS open deck that did not have goose bumps at this point.  And if that was not enough I was using a 400mm zoom lens to bring the action in close and I snapped away photo, after photo, after photo, hoping that at least one will turn out to be phenomenal. Lucky for me it was a clear day so I was able to track the launch vehicle for over a minute downrange until it became just a bright orange speck in a sea of pure blue sky.  What an awesome experience but it was short lived as I needed to get back into the LCC to continue to monitor launch vehicle performance.  I quickly glanced through the photos as I walked back into the LCC and was pleasantly surprised as to the quality. I could hardly wait until after the launch to take a closer look.

Back inside the LCC the launch vehicle performance was right on target.  Each of the marked events were occurring within a second or two from the planned time.  So far so good… Interestingly enough, I noticed that out on the deck I was in pure awe but now that I have the headset back on the awe turns into angst as you tentatively listen to the marked events callout and compare it to the plan confirming that everything is going as expected.  It is particularly stressful just prior to a main engine shutdown or a main engine ignition as these are key events and typically the most troublesome.  But nothing compares to the time between spacecraft separation from the launch vehicle and the time it is acquired by the ground station confirming that it is where it needs to be and that it is working.  Thankfully today, Eutelsat’s Spacecraft Mission Manager, Craig Williamson was able to get the call that the spacecraft had been acquired within approximately 15 minutes of separation.  At this point the LCC erupts in applause as we have just successfully completed our mission, again!

 

This success is due to the contribution of each individual on the ACS, LP, Home Port and each of the other remote sites across the globe that support us.  I extend my personal thanks to each of you and your families for your unbridled support of the sexiest launch service company in the world. A Great Job by All and now for a few results from my camera today. Enjoy and thanks for reading as we had over 2000 page views today and nearly 6000 total for the voyage to date.  I am hoping for 10,000 by the time we get home.

A spectacular liftoff...!

 

Getting ready to pitch over and head downrange...

Pitched over and headed downrange...

 

 

Zenit 3SL leaving its mark in the equatorial sky...

 

 

A nicely scortched deck...

 

Congratulations to the entire Sea Launch, ELUS, Eutelsat and Astrium Teams for a job well done!