Sea Launch Blasts Off

If all goes as planned, a rocket carrying a five-ton dummy satellite will lift off from a floating launch pad in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Saturday as the commercial space race heads to sea. The test from a converted oil-drilling platform represents a critical challenge for an international consortium seeking lucrative contracts to launch the next generation of communications satellites.

The launch site at the equator about 1,400 miles south of Hawaii provides a key advantage over land-based liftoffs: The Earth spins faster at the equator, giving rockets a boost in reaching orbit that allows them to carry heavier payloads. The concept of a commercial launch pad at sea is not new, but no one has done it before. If successful, the Sea Launch Co. project will pay off for American aviation giant Boeing Co. and partners from Russia, Ukraine and Norway.

Jon Kutler, president of the aerospace investment bank Quarterdeck Investment Partners, said Boeing might consider pulling out of the program if Saturday’s test fails. Sea Launch has contracts for 16 launches and expects to conduct its first commercial launch in August or September. Officials hope to make six to 12 liftoffs a year. Satellite launches cost up to $60 million, said Paul Nisbet, an analyst with JSA Research. Sea Launch President Allen Ashby has said only that the company expects its prices to be competitive.