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The Zenit-3SL is rolled out of its protective hangar on the Launch Platform, for a series of tests on the launch pad. Notice the red stars on the erector, a traditional notation for each launch. |
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We call this a "Dry Rollout" because we proceed through countdown operations up to - but not including - the process of fueling. The rocket rolls out to the launch pad on a transporter-erector. The erector part of this infrastructure raises the rocket to a vertical position, using hydraulic pumps. |
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With the rocket fully erect, the testing of all systems on the rocket and the spacecraft begins. When the testing is completed, the rocket is de-erected and rolled back into its hangar for the transit to the launch site on the equator.
(Sea Launch photos by Valery Itskovich and Paula Korn) |
