The Sea
Launch partners and Boeing Space & Communications officials today
announced their intention to have a common sales and marketing
organization for Sea Launch and Boeing Delta commercial launch
services.

Gale Schluter, vice president and general manager Boeing
Expendable Launch Systems, announced that the new organization and its
leadership were outlined in a memo to employees on Friday.

The new marketing and sales organization will fall under Boeing
Launch Services Inc. and will be led by former Sea Launch president
and general manager, Will Trafton, who will report to Schluter.

A separate organization under Schluter and Trafton will handle
U.S. government marketing and sales for the Boeing Delta. Dave
Schweikle will be responsible for the sales of launch services to the
U.S. government and report to the vice president-general manager/vice
president-deputy general manager of Expendable Launch Systems. Both
marketing and sales organizations will be located in Huntington Beach,
Calif.

While Boeing Launch Services Inc., will market and sell both Sea
Launch and Delta commercial launch services, the Sea Launch venture
will continue to operate as a separate entity. “From a customer
service and mission assurance standpoint, it was imperative that we
moved towards common marketing and sales, without changing the way the
Sea Launch or Delta programs are run,” Schluter said. “Our customers
have a high degree of confidence in both programs, so we have not
changed anything about the way in which we will interface with the
customers leading up to launch.”

“The creation of Boeing Launch Services is significant for both
Sea Launch and the Delta program,” said Trafton. “BLS will provide a
wider array of launch service options through a single sales and
marketing organization which we believe will lead to time and cost
savings for our customers. It also strengthens our mutual launch
backup agreement, signed in March of this year, which, in turn, means
greater flexibility and schedule assurance for our customers. Finally,
this action demonstrates Boeing’s long-term commitment to Sea Launch.”

Sea Launch is a limited liability company with headquarters and
home port facilities in Long Beach, Calif. The company is owned by The
Boeing Co. (40%); RSC-Energia of Moscow (25%); Anglo-Norwegian
Kvaerner Group of Oslo, Norway (20%); and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of
Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine (15%).

The Boeing Co. is the largest aerospace company in the world and
the United States’ leading exporter. It is NASA’s largest contractor
and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military
aircraft. The company’s capabilities in aerospace also include
rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines,
launch vehicles, satellites, and advanced information and
communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with
customers in 145 countries.