Ocean rocket returns to business (BBC)

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The Sea Launch company has returned to flight with a mission to loft a telecoms satellite to serve the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

The firm's Zenit 3SL rocket lifted off from its converted oil rig platform stationed in the Pacific at 1149 GMT.

The Thuraya 3 satellite separated from the vehicle some 98 minutes later.

The flight was the first for Sea Launch since the catastrophic explosion in January 2007 which destroyed a Zenit and its payload on the pad.

Sea Launch is based in Long Beach, California, but is operated by an international consortium, including the Boeing aerospace company and the Russian spacecraft manufacturer Energia.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7189392.stm