KIEV (Reuters) - Sea Launch, an international satellite launch venture led by Boeing, will carry out its second commercial blast-off from a floating platform in January next year, a Ukrainian official said.

"The next, second commercial launch of our Zenit (rocket booster) will be carried out on January 31,'' Olexander Mashchenko, deputy chief designer at rocket maker Yuzhnoye, told reporters late on Thursday.

Sea Launch uses Zenit-3SL three-stage rocket boosters, made by Yuzhnoye. Mashchenko gave no details of the launch, which will carry satellites for international telecoms consortium ICO Global Communications Ltd.

Sea Launch, which includes Norway's Kvaerner and Russia's Energia rocket plant, has carried out one commercial launch and one test blast-off so far.

The launch site will be in the south Pacific Ocean, taking advantage of the earth's relatively high rotation speed at the equator which will allow heavier payloads of up to five tons.

Ukrainian space authorities hope the project will help the struggling ex-Soviet republic revive its potentially lucrative space industry.