UAE Moves to Purchase Russian Spacecraft Launch Platform

The United Arab Emirates expressed interest in the purchase of the international spacecraft launch platform "Sea Launch”.

The United Arab Emirates is interested in the acquisition of the international spacecraft launch platform "Sea Launch”.

It is a sea-based launch system that allows launches of commercial freights on specialized Zenit- 3SL rockets.

The UAE expressed its interest in this project. Several meetings were held between the UAE and Russia. But at the moment the intensity of negotiations regarding the project has decreased possibly due to the fall in international oil prices.

Two years ago, the UAE acquired its own space agency. With the acquisition of "Sea Launch" the UAE would receive technical specialists and an existing infrastructure. In 2021, the UAE plans on sending their spacecraft to Mars.

The Sea Launch international consortium was established in 1995. Currently 95 percent of its shares are owned by Russian RKKK Energia's subsidiary Energia Overseas Limited. The floating platform was planned to be used for commercial launches to geostationary orbit on Zenit 3SL rocket carriers.