A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL vehicle carrying the NSS-8 satellite for SES New Skies suffered a catastrophic failure Jan. 30, exploding at liftoff. As visible on the launch video, the vehicle never made it off the floating launch platform.

Sea Launch did not comment on the status of the platform, saying only that the vehicle “experienced an anomaly today during launch operations. All personnel at the launch site are safe and accounted for.”

NSS-8, built by Boeing, was intended to replace NSS-703, but the loss of NSS-8 is not expected to have an impact on existing customers or revenues, SES New Skies said. NSS-703 will remain at 57° East and will serve customers until at least 2009, the company said. NSS-9, under construction at Orbital Sciences Corp., is scheduled for launch in 2009 to replace NSS-5, which then will replace NSS-703.

This was the first of six planned missions for Sea Launch in 2007. Other missions are scheduled for Thuraya, Intelsat, Hughes Network Systems, DirecTV and EchoStar.

Sea Launch will establish a Failure Review Oversight Board to determine the root cause of the explosion.

Please check Satellitetoday.com throughout the day for updates.