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Re:The dream of offshore rocket launches is finally blasting... by ghaff on Sunday February 16, 2025 @08:15AM (#43067723)
Semi-submersibles--which is what Sea Launch was (former Ocean Odyssey)--are pretty stable. The marine risers (i.e. the big pipes that connect to the subsea blowout preventer) don't tolerate a lot of angle. Source: Used to work on, among other things, offshore drilling rig mooring analysis.

But I can imagine all sorts of reasons why using an offshore platform introduces a bunch of challenges that launching from land doesn't have. Though of course, the ability to get away from people is a plus too.

Re:The dream of offshore rocket launches is finally blasting... by hermitcrab on Sunday February 16, 2025 @10:06AM (#43068569)
One of my wife's relatives was the master for the sea trials for one of the ships involved in Sea Launch. He had an incredible career, starting off as a brass helmet diver for the Royal Navy and ending up with Sea Launch.