ILS
New launch vehicles face schedule pressure
Executives of two launch companies insisted their vehicles will be ready for their inaugural flights in 2022 while a third acknowledged their new vehicle’s first flight will likely slip beyond the end of next year.
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.
ILS Proton launches AsiaSat-9, completes 2017 commercial manifest
International Launch Services completed its third and final 2017 commercial Proton mission today, launching the AsiaSat-9 telecommunications satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Big launch companies predict doom for upcoming smallsat launchers
Speaking at the World Satellite Business Week in Paris Sept. 12, top executives of the world’s five leading launch service providers agreed that the future small-satellite launch market will favor ridesharing and customized services on larger launch vehicles rather than tailored launches by the newcomers
ILS Proton launches Hispasat satellite
The launch is Proton’s third overall this year, preceded by an ILS launch of EchoStar-21 in June and a Russian government launch of the Blagovest-11L satellite in August.
