Floating launch vehicle operations platform

{{Short description|Marine vessel for space launch or landing}} [[File:世界最大固体运载火箭引力一号成功首飞1.png|thumb|Gravity-1 launch in January 2024]]

A '''floating launch vehicle operations platform''' is a marine vessel used for launch or landing operations of an orbital launch vehicle by a launch service provider: putting satellites into orbit around Earth or another celestial body, or recovering first-stage boosters from orbital-class flights by making a propulsive landing on the platform.

In the early decades of spaceflight technology, all orbital launch vehicle operations were exclusively from land, and all booster stages were expended after a single use for nearly 60 years after the first orbital spaceflight, Sputnik 1. After the late 1990s and into the 2010s, new marine options for launch were built. Landing of orbital-class boosters began to be accomplished in 2015. More platforms, both for launch and landing, are currently in construction or planned.

Suborbital rockets and ballistic missiles had been launched from marine platforms earlier than the 1990s, but are not the topic of this article.

== Platforms to date ==

Both floating launch platform and floating landing platforms have been placed into use by orbital launch service providers as of 2020. Additionally, at least two new rocket landing platforms and one new launch platform are under construction as of 2020.

There are currently at least five instances of marine launch or landing platforms for orbital launch vehicles:

=== Active ===

* Two autonomous spaceport drone ships (ASDS) are used by SpaceX to recover and reuse first-stage boosters of its Falcon rocket family.<ref name=nsf20200603>{{cite news |title=SpaceX Launches Eighth Starlink Mission, Read The Instructions With East Coast Droneship Debut |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/06/spacex-launch-eighth-starlink-jrti-debut/ |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=30 December 2020 |work=NASASpaceFlight.com }}</ref> ''A Shortfall of Gravitas'' operates from Port Canaveral supporting launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station landing in the Atlantic Ocean, while ''Of Course I Still Love You'' operates from the Port of Long Beach supporting launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base landing in the Pacific Ocean. * The Government of China launched a solid-rocket propelled smallsat payload massing {{cvt|350|kg}} into orbit during 2019 using a {{cvt|21|m|adj=on}}-long repurposed military ballistic missile technology.<ref name=defencepoint20190605/> *Gravity-1 - Chinese rocket launch from a ship in January 2024.<ref>https://www.space.com/china-orienspace-gravity-1-rocket-launch-success-video</ref> * Blue Origin utilizes a landing platform barge named Landing Platform Vessel 1 (nicknamed Jacklyn) to attempt to recover the first-stage of their New Glenn rocket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/01/new-glenn-launch/|title=Blue Origin launches New Glenn on flight NG-1 and makes orbit|last=Stranger|first=Harry|date=January 15, 2025|publisher=NASASpaceflight.com|access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref>

=== Retired ===

* ''Odyssey'' used by Sea Launch for equatorial Pacific Ocean launches of the Zenit-3 rocket from 1999 to 2014, where a total of 36 rocket launches were made. * SpaceX's first autonomous spaceport drone ships (ASDS) named Just Read the Instructions (I) used in two unsuccessful landing tests in January and April 2015, while ''Just Read the Instructions (II)'' used in 157 launches (154 successes, 1 failure, 2 partial failure) between March 2016 and April 2026.

=== Under construction ===

* ''Xingji Guihang'' ({{langx|zh|星际归航}}; {{langx|cmn|Interstellar Return}}), used by i-Space for landing the Hyperbola-3 (SQX-3) first stage. Launched in 2025, yet to become operational.<ref name=SN-20250811> {{cite news |url= https://spacenews.com/chinese-launch-startup-unveils-autonomous-rocket-recovery-ship/ |title= Chinese launch startup unveils autonomous rocket recovery ship |publisher= Space News |author= Andrew Jones |date= 11 August 2025 }} </ref> The first stage of the i-Space ''Hyperbola-3'' rocket is expected to land vertically using landing legs to land on the floating platform. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Alaieva |first=Liliia |date=2025-08-11 |title=Chinese sea platform for returning rockets |url=https://universemagazine.com/en/ispace-offshore-platform-how-china-is-preparing-to-compete-with-spacex/ |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Universe Space Tech |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=Sina-infixywn9115942> {{cite news |url= https://finance.sina.cn/tech/2025-08-06/detail-infixywn9115942.d.html |title= 中国首艘、世界第五艘海上运载火箭回收船“星际归航”号顺利吉水 |trans-title= Shunli Jishui, China's first and the world's fifth offshore carrier rocket recovery ship “Interstellar Return” |author= Sina IT |publisher= Sina.cn |id= infixywn9115942 |lang= zh }} </ref>

=== Proposed ===

In addition to the historical and current platforms, other entities have considered utilizing a floating landing platform. * Rocket Lab announced in March 2021 that they are building their new medium-lift launch vehicle—Neutron—to land the first stage booster on an ocean landing platform called, Return On Investment.<ref name=sn20210301>{{cite news |title=Rocket Lab to go public through SPAC merger and develop medium-lift rocket |url=https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-to-go-public-through-spac-merger-and-develop-medium-lift-rocket/ |work=SpaceNews |last=Foust|first=Jeff |date=1 March 2021 |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref> * In June 2021, Astra was evaluating ocean launch platforms as part of their company strategy to have more than a dozen launch locations to support a daily smallsat launch cadence by 2025.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3lKG6rtUE?t=3555 NSF Live: The future of Astra with Founder and CEO Chris Kemp], NasaSpaceFlight.com, @59:23, 5 June 2021, accessed 14 June 2021.</ref>{{update after|2023|2|15}} * in October 2025, ESA announced plans for a similar vessel for future reusable upper stages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Stephen |date=2025-09-29 |title=ESA will pay an Italian company nearly $50 million to design a mini-Starship |url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/09/esa-will-pay-an-italian-company-nearly-50-million-to-design-a-mini-starship/ |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref>

=== Cancelled ===

* The former Blue Origin landing platform ship, ''Jacklyn'', owned 2018 until the vessel was scrapped in 2022. The ship was never used operationally by Blue Origin. * SpaceX had planned in 2021 to build two floating launch platforms, ''Phobos'' and ''Deimos'' for their second-generation Starship system. Two deepwater oil rigs were procured in July 2020, and as of 2021, modifications are underway on the two ships in the Port of Brownsville and Port of Galveston.<ref name=cnbc20200119>{{cite news |title=SpaceX bought two former Valaris oil rigs to build floating launchpads for its Starship rocket |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/19/spacex-bought-former-valaris-oil-rigs-to-build-starship-launchpads.html |work=CNBC |last=Sheetz|first=Michael |date=19 January 2021 |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref><ref name=nsf20210119>{{cite news |last=Burghardt|first=Thomas |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/01/spacex-rigs-starship-spaceports/ |title=SpaceX acquires former oil rigs to serve as floating Starship spaceports |work=NASASpaceFlight |date=19 January 2021 |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref> Plans were for{{clarify|when exactly? they also talked up plans for the sea landing and sea takeoff options during 2021-22|date=March 2023}} both the first stage (Super Heavy) booster and the second stage (Starship) to be landed on land, unlike the many sea landings seen with their Falcon 9 boosters.<ref name=bi20200616>{{cite news |last=Mosher|first=Dave |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-starship-ocean-spaceports-offshore-engineer-job-posting-2020-6 |title=Elon Musk: 'SpaceX is building floating, superheavy-class spaceports' for its Starship rocket to reach the moon, Mars, and fly passengers around Earth |work=Business Insider |date=16 June 2020 |access-date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617073600/https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-starship-ocean-spaceports-offshore-engineer-job-posting-2020-6 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, these plans were shelved and the rigs were sold by SpaceX in 2023.<ref name=sn20230214>{{cite news |title=SpaceX drops plans to convert oil rigs into launch platforms |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-drops-plans-to-covert-oil-rigs-into-launch-platforms/ |work=SpaceNews |last1=Foust|first1=Jeff |date=14 February 2023 |access-date=14 February 2023}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Floating launch platforms === Orbital launch platforms were initially{{when|date=December 2020}} modified ships,{{cn|date=December 2020}} but specific platforms were later produced specifically to be orbital launch vessels.

The concept was pioneered in the late 1990s by a US, Russian, Norwegian and Ukrainian commercial consortium.<ref name=energia20010214>{{cite news |url=http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/sea-launch/partner.html |title=The Sea Launch Partnership |publisher=Energia |date=14 February 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010214235743/http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/sea-launch/partner.html |archive-date=14 February 2001 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Chinese space agency did their first orbital launch from a ship in 2019. It was unclear if the shipboard launch was a special demonstration mission, or if China was putting a new launch service provider capability into place.<ref name=defencepoint20190605>{{cite news |title=China launches first space rocket from a sea platform |work=DefencePoint.com |date=5 June 2019 |url=https://defence-point.com/2019/06/05/china-launches-first-space-rocket-from-a-sea-platform/ |access-date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=18 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118192955/https://defence-point.com/2019/06/05/china-launches-first-space-rocket-from-a-sea-platform/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Floating landing platforms === All early orbital launch vehicle stages were expended, the booster stages were destroyed when re-entering the atmosphere or on impact with the ground or ocean. After over four years of research and technology development, SpaceX first landed Falcon 9 boosters on land in 2015,<ref name=verge20211221>{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/21/10640306/spacex-elon-musk-rocket-landing-success |title=SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket after launching it to space |work=The Verge |first=Loren|last=Grush |date=21 December 2015 |access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref> on a floating landing platform in 2016,<ref name=natgeo20160408/> and has been reusing boosters routinely since 2017, with most of the recovered boosters landing on a platform at sea.

After attempts to land orbital rocket booster stages by parachute failed in the late 2000s, SpaceX began to develop reusable technology in the early 2010s, when they contracted with a Louisiana shipyard to build a floating landing platform to land their launch vehicles. The platform had an approximately {{convert|90|x|50|m|sp=us}} landing pad surface and was capable of precision positioning with diesel-powered azimuth thrusters<ref name=tm20141122>{{cite web|title=SpaceX Announces Spaceport Barge Positioned by Thrustmaster's Thrusters|url=http://www.thrustmaster.net/spacex-announces-spaceport-barge-positioned-thrustmasters-thrusters/|publisher=Thrustmaster|access-date=23 November 2014|date=22 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207091326/http://www.thrustmaster.net/out-drive-propulsion-unit/portable-dynamic-positioning-system/|archive-date=7 December 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> so the platform can hold its position for launch vehicle landing. This platform was first deployed in January 2015<ref name=nsf20141217>{{cite news|last1=Bergin|first1=Chris|title=SpaceX confirms CRS-5 launch slip to 6 January|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/12/spacex-static-fire-falcon-9-crs-5/|access-date=18 December 2014|work=NASASpaceFlight.com|date=17 December 2014}}</ref> when SpaceX attempted a controlled descent flight test to land the first stage of Falcon 9 flight 14 on a solid surface after it was used to loft a contracted payload toward Earth orbit.<ref name=sn20141024>{{cite news|last1=Foust|first1=Jeff|title=Next Falcon 9 Launch Could See First-stage Platform Landing|url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/42305next-falcon-9-launch-could-see-first-stage-platform-landing|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141025142556/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/42305next-falcon-9-launch-could-see-first-stage-platform-landing|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 25, 2014|access-date=25 October 2014|work=Space News|date=25 October 2014}}</ref><ref name=tr20141026>{{cite news|last1=Bullis|first1=Kevin|title=SpaceX Plans to Start Reusing Rockets Next Year|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/news/532066/spacex-plans-to-start-reusing-rockets-next-year/|access-date=26 October 2014|work=MIT Technology Review|date=25 October 2014|archive-date=25 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025212734/http://www.technologyreview.com/news/532066/spacex-plans-to-start-reusing-rockets-next-year/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The platform utilizes GPS position information to navigate and hold its precise position.<ref name=ft20141024>{{cite news|last1=Dean|first1=James|title=SpaceX to attempt Falcon 9 booster landing on floating platform|url=http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/spacex/2014/10/24/spacex-attempt-falcon-booster-landing-floating-platform/17847817/|access-date=27 October 2014|date=24 October 2014}}</ref> The rocket landing leg span is {{convert|60|ft|m|disp=flip|abbr=on}} and must not only land within the {{convert|170|ft|m|disp=flip|abbr=on|adj=on}}-wide barge deck, but must also deal with ocean swells and GPS errors. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first displayed a photograph of the newly designated "autonomous spaceport drone ship" in November 2014. The ship is designed to hold position to within {{convert|3|m|sp=us}}, even under storm conditions.<ref name=musk20141122>{{cite web|last1=Musk|first1=Elon|title=Autonomous spaceport drone ship|url=https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/536262624653365248|publisher=SpaceX|access-date=23 November 2014|date=22 November 2014}}</ref>

On 8 April 2016, the first stage of the rocket that launched the {{ComV|Dragon|C110}} spacecraft ahead of CRS-8, successfully landed on the drone ship named ''Of Course I Still Love You,'' the first successful landing of a rocket booster on a floating platform.<ref name=natgeo20160408>{{cite news |url=http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/08/spacex-rocket-makes-spectacular-landing-on-drone-ship/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420062151/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/08/spacex-rocket-makes-spectacular-landing-on-drone-ship/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |title=SpaceX Rocket Makes Spectacular Landing on Drone Ship |publisher=National Geographic |first=Nadia|last=Drake |author-link=Nadia Drake|date=8 April 2016 |access-date=April 8, 2016 |quote=To space and back, in less than nine minutes? Hello, future.}}</ref> By early 2018, SpaceX had two operational drone ships and had a third under construction. By September 2018, sea platform landings had become routine for the SpaceX launch vehicles, with over 23 attempted and 17 successful recoveries.<ref name=nsf20180719> [https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/07/spacex-five-recoveries-less-two-weeks-fleet-activity/ SpaceX to attempt five recoveries in less than two weeks as fleet activity ramps up], NASAspaceflight.com, 19 July 2018, accessed 2 August 2018.</ref>

{{asof|2018}}, Blue Origin was in development and intending to land the first stage boosters of New Glenn on a hydrodynamically-stabilized ship. They purchased a ship that had been built in 2004 as a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship to begin refit and testing.<ref name=pnj20181024>[https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2018/10/24/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-rocket-landing-ship-docked-pensacola-port/1739488002/ Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin ship to be used for rocket landings docked at Port of Pensacola], Pensacola News Journal, 24 October 2018, accessed 4 November 2018.</ref> with the goal to make the booster stages reusable.<ref name=nsf20180920>{{cite news |last=Burghardt|first=Thomas |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/09/new-shepard-blue-origin-billion-new-glenn/ |title=Building on New Shepard, Blue Origin to pump a billion dollars into New Glenn readiness |work=NASASpaceFlight.com |date=20 September 2018 |access-date=22 September 2018 }}</ref> The moving ship idea was abandoned before development was complete and the ship was scrapped in 2022.<ref name=spacenews>{{cite news |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=Blue Origin scraps original recovery ship for New Glenn boosters |url=https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-scraps-original-recovery-ship-for-new-glenn-boosters/ |access-date=8 January 2024 |work=Space News |date=16 August 2022 |location=Denver, Colorado |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240108171816/https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-scraps-original-recovery-ship-for-new-glenn-boosters/ |archive-date=8 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vessel Arrival Chart |url=https://www.portofbrownsville.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Vessel-Arrival-Chart-08-19-2022.pdf |publisher=Port of Brownsville, Texas |access-date=8 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108171032/https://www.portofbrownsville.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Vessel-Arrival-Chart-08-19-2022.pdf |archive-date=8 January 2024 |date=19 August 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Origin Recovery Vessel Fleet |url=https://space-offshore.com/blue-origin/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=space-offshore.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-31 |title=What Is Blue Origin's New Glenn Landing Plan? – TheSpaceBucket |url=https://thespacebucket.com/what-is-blue-origins-new-glenn-landing-plan/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The replacement design by Blue Origin was to refit a barge, similar but larger than the SpaceX droneship barges, for use as a landing platform. '''Landing Platform Vessel 1''' (LPV-1), formerly known as '''DAMEN MANGALIA 522520''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=LANDING PLATFORM VESSEL 1, Rocket Launch Support Ship - Details and current position - IMO 9998676 - VesselFinder |url=https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9998676 |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.vesselfinder.com}}</ref> is also known by Blue Origin as ''Jacklyn'', the same name as its predecessor ship that was scrapped. LPV-1 arrived in Port Canaveral in September 2024,<ref name=UniverseMag-20240903> {{cite web |url= https://universemagazine.com/en/spacex-competitor-blue-origin-reveals-its-marine-spaceport/ |title= SpaceX competitor: Blue Origin reveals its marine spaceport |date= 3 September 2024 |author= Mykyta Lytvynov |publisher= Universe Magazine }} </ref> and is expected to be used to recover launched boosters on the Atlantic Ocean, downrange of the Blue Origin Florida launch facility, beginning in 2025.

Rocket Lab is also preparing their 400ft long '''Return On Investment''' landing platform (formerly '''Oceanus''') for their Neutron rocket.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rocket Lab Reveals Ocean Platform for Neutron Rocket Landings at Sea |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250227129978/en/Rocket-Lab-Reveals-Ocean-Platform-for-Neutron-Rocket-Landings-at-Sea |website=Businesswire}}</ref>

* The first stage of the I-Space's Hyperbola-3 rocket is expected to land vertically using landing legs to land on a floating platform, Xingji Guihang (“Interstellar Return”).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alaieva |first=Liliia |date=2025-08-11 |title=Chinese sea platform for returning rockets |url=https://universemagazine.com/en/ispace-offshore-platform-how-china-is-preparing-to-compete-with-spacex/ |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Universe Space Tech |language=en-US}}</ref> == Operation == Floating platforms have the benefit of being able to receive or launch space launch vehicles out on the open ocean to keep the operation away from populated areas, for reasons of safety.<ref name=sdc20200617>{{cite news |title=SpaceX wants to build an offshore spaceport near Texas for Starship Mars rocket |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-mars-starship-off |work=Space.com |last=Wall |first=Mike |access-date=30 December 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Floating launch platforms can be moved substantial distances across the ocean, to be repositioned for launches.<ref name=portnews20200326>[https://en.portnews.ru/digest/21661/ Floating Platform Of Sea Launch Project Arrives In Russia's Far East]{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}, Portnews, 26 March 2020, accessed 19 December 2020</ref> I

The use of a floating launch platform allows for the rocket to be positioned more easily than with a fixed launch pad on land. For example, Sea Launch moved their platform closer to Earth's equator to gain a bit of extra momentum and gain additional performance from the rocket. The Chinese Long March 11 did something similar for its 2019 sea launch.<ref name=allianz20190702>{{cite web |title=Space: China launches first rocket from the sea |work=Allianz Partners |date=2 July 2019 |url=https://allianzpartners-bi.com/news/space-china-launches-first-rocket-from-the-sea-98fa-333d4.html |access-date=30 December 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Spaceflight technology Category:Watercraft Category:Sea launch to orbit Category:Floating launch vehicle operations platform Category:Service vessels Category:Maritime vessels related to spaceflight