ILS
Launch companies optimistic about future demand
Launch companies that have suffered from flat or declining traditional markets in recent years say they believe a surge of demand, primarily from satellite megaconstellations, will boost their businesses later this decade.
Large launch companies cast doubt on viability of small launch vehicle market
Executives of major launch companies said they doubted there was sufficient demand for more than a few small launch vehicle developers, citing their own efforts to provide rideshare launch services for smallsats.
ILS hires new president, gets approval to market Soyuz
International Launch Services has hired a longtime United Launch Alliance executive as its new president as the company expands to offer Soyuz launch services and potentially human spaceflight missions.
Northrop Grumman’s satellite servicer MEV-1, Eutelsat satellite, launch on ILS Proton
An International Launch Services Proton rocket carried Northrop Grumman’s first satellite-servicing spacecraft and a communications satellite for Eutelsat to orbit Oct. 9.
Launch companies look to government customers for stability
With the size and growth of commercial markets uncertain, launch companies are looking to government agencies to varying degrees for stability and funding for the development of new vehicles.
ILS Proton arrives at Baikonur • Kepler, Kymeta test antenna • GSMA takes aim at satellite spectrum
A Proton rocket for International Launch Services’ (ILS) first and only mission of the year has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a Q4 2019 launch.
First Proton of the year launches Gazprom communications satellite
A Russian Proton rocket launched the Yamal-601 communications satellite for Gazprom Space Systems May 30, completing the first of six Proton missions planned for this year.
Glavkosmos absorbs ILS, promises lower Proton prices
International Launch Services, the commercial sales division of Russia’s Proton rocket manufacturer Khrunichev, is now part of Glavkosmos, a Roscosmos subsidiary that sells Soyuz rocket launches.
Amid GEO downturn, launch operators look for new markets
With orders for geostationary orbit satellites declining, potentially permanently, commercial launch service providers are looking to government and other markets to make up for lost business.
New Roscosmos chief prioritizes ending Proton’s reign
In his first interview as head of Russia’s Roscosmos space corporation, Dmitry Rogozin confirmed reports of the venerable Proton rocket’s coming demise and suggested Russia is looking to make its segment of the ISS more autonomous.
Baikonur Cosmodrome can support polar launches with Proton Medium, ILS says
International Launch Services says Russia’s Proton rocket will be better able to compete for constellation launches, along with other missions, thanks to new orbits accessible through an upcoming variant of the rocket.
ILS’s Pysher: Proton continues to reinvent itself to compete
The top executive with the U.S. firm that markets Russia's Proton rocket blasted what he characterized as a recent slew of misinformation surrounding the vehicle.
SpaceX takes top honors in SpaceNews Awards for Excellence & Innovation
SpaceNews honored during an awards luncheon held Dec. 19 at the City Club of Washington. The luncheon was organized in partnership with the Washington Space Business Roundtable.
ILS says Proton Medium will compete head to head with Falcon 9
International Launch Services expects its new, scaled-down variant of Proton-M to be a more direct competitor with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket than the current heavy-lift version ILS has used for decades.
