Sea Launch NSS-8 explosion (2007)

Launching from a sea platform near the equator reduces the fuel needed and keeps populations away, but concentrates the whole operation on a single, irreplaceable asset. When the launcher explodes at liftoff, the platform is both the launch pad and the tool for the whole fleet of future launches, and its repair governs the return to flight. The 2007 explosion illustrates this: no casualties, because the ship had been evacuated, but grounding for nearly a year. For insurers, the case separates three interests: the payload, the launch facility and the delay to later customers. It also shows that distance at sea removes the risk to third parties, not the operator's risk.