Новости ILS

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Salo

Интервью Фрэнка МакКенны:
Executive Spotlight on Mr. Frank McKenna in Sat Magazine. - Oct 2011

http://www.ilslaunch.com/sites/default/files/Sat-Magazine-October-2011-McKenna.pdf
ЦитироватьExecutive Spotlight

ILS, a U.S. company with headquarters in Reston, Viginia, near Washington D.C., is a global provider of commercial launch services for satellite operators worldwide, and offers a complete array of services and support fr om contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. The Company has exclusive rights to market the Proton and Angara vehicles, and has launched most commercial satellite platforms. ILS has worked with all major global satellite operators.
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry and manufactures the Proton system and is currently developing the next generation Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and has a history of more than 360 missions since 1965.

SatMagazine (SM) Mr. McKenna, would tell us about your background leading up to your current role as president of ILS?

Frank McKenna
Prior to joining ILS in 2004, all of my career was in the U.S. aerospace and defense industry. I worked with Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMC), which was a partner in ILS until October 2006. For Martin Marietta and LMC, I held CFO positions, oversaw business development and strategy and managed domestic and international joint ventures. It has really been a great experience taking this background, combined with a talented management team at ILS and Khrunichev, to create a world-class commercial launch company.

SM
What are your thoughts on the launch market, given the predicted decline in satellite orders? How do you think new entrants or reentrants will fare in this environment?


Frank McKenna
We believe that the rationalization of the commercial launch industry has been very obvious and inevitable, driven by market forces for years. We have predicted and have been preparing for the decline in satellite orders to less than 20 per year for the GTO market by the end of this year. This dynamic does not fare well for new entrants or those who plan to reenter the market. We believe that GTO satellite orders will remain low for the next few years, as replacement cycles for the FSS market have largely been met. ILS has built a solid financial and operational foundation with a robust business model to weather the storm and succeed. Considering that peak demand has been satisfied by the two main launch providers over the last few years, creating additional supply in the commercial launch heavy lift market during a lull in demand will be detrimental to the market in the long term. Oversupply in the commercial launch market led to instability in the last decade resulting in rationalization by shareholders and market forces that drove other suppliers such as the Atlas and Delta vehicles to primarily serve a more profitable launch sector — the U.S. Government. Sea Launch and SpaceX entering the market now will inevitably result in a similar shake out. The two main commercial launch providers, ILS and Arianespace, have been more than able to supply 20 or more commercial satellite launches per year, which will be well in excess of demand for the next several years.

SM
How does a multinational company, such as ILS, manage to compete against other heavyweights in the industry to garner launch contracts? What sets ILS apart from other commercial launch services providers?


Frank McKenna
ILS competes and wins business based upon a total value proposition. There were some skeptics when we became a separate entity in 2006, spun off from Lockheed Martin, but we have spent the last five years building a formidable competitive global capability. So far this year, we have won seven new ILS Proton launch orders. Any competitor that comes up against us gets a fair, well fought competition — and they can attest to that. As for heavyweights, our parent company, Khrunichev, is a heavyweight, by any standard, as a primary supplier to the Russian Federal space program. It is crucial to have a substantial government business as a second leg to lean on, especially taking into consideration the forecasted low commercial market. What sets ILS apart are several different factors; the strong heritage and performance of the dedicated Proton vehicle, the flexibility of the Proton system to launch to customized orbits, and unmatched schedule assurance to meet customers' needs at fair value. All of those benefits, combined with a solid, sustainable business model with the ILS and Khrunichev partnership, is the total value package we offer.

SM
What was the result of the Russian State Commission investigation and inquiry made by ILS? And how does a company encourage its professional core of contributors to remain positive after an event such as anomaly with the Russian Federal Proton launch of the Express-AM4?


Frank McKenna
The Inter-Agency Commission issued a statement on August 30th regarding their review of the failure of the Russian Federal Proton mission with the Express-AM 4 satellite on August 18. The statement noted that the off-nominal orbital injection of the Express AM4 satellite was caused by the improper programming of "time interval to manipulate the gyro platform". This resulted in an off-nominal orientation of the Breeze M and injection of the spacecraft into an unintended orbit. All other Breeze M systems performed within specifications. According to the report, all other Breeze M systems performed nominally. ILS conducted its own Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) on September 8 and 9 to review the detailed results of the Russian IAC investigation. ILS circulated the FROB's findings in mid-September.
The teams of dedicated professionals at ILS and Khrunichev want nothing more than a successful launch for all of our customers. When an anomaly of any nature occurs in our business, the ultimate goal of ILS and Khrunichev is to find out the cause of the failure, determine what corrective actions need to be implemented, and put measures in place to ensure that such issues will not occur on future missions. Our focus is on our customers and our performance. We are extremely grateful to our customers for all of the support we received throughout this timeframe and during our efforts to properly and safely return to flight.

SM
What does the rest of 2011 look like for ILS in terms of launches, given the Russian Federal Proton Mission on August 18th with the Express-AM 4 satellite, which resulted in an anomaly?


Frank McKenna
After the Inter-Agency Commission concluded its investigation of the Express-AM4 anomaly and determined that Proton was cleared for flight, we proceeded to work with our customer, SES, to determine a new launch date for QuetzSat-1, which is now the end of September. This is just two and a half weeks after the original launch date of September 12. There will be a Federal Proton mission prior to the ILS Proton launch of QuetzSat-1, with ViaSat-1 for ViaSat to follow.
In total, we plan to conduct four ILS Proton commercial missions before the end of the year, along with three Federal Proton missions managed by Khrunichev.

SM
How can ILS accommodate such a busy schedule and manifest?


Frank McKenna
ILS and KhSC have proactively planned ahead to accommodate a rapid launch pace by maximizing production in the factory and building new facilities. The Second Spacecraft Processing Facility (SSPF) that was recently brought into service at the launch site allows overlapping campaigns, minimizing the required spacing between commercial launches from five to six weeks to three weeks. This facility allows ILS to accommodate our customers' spacecraft schedules when, as is the case this year, spacecraft deliveries are delayed or clustered within a short period of time.
ILS/Proton continues to provide the best schedule assurance in the industry and the addition of the SSPF in Baikonur increases our ability to provide on-time launches for our customers.

SM
How are relations between Russian and Kazakhstan with respect to the launch site in Baikonur?


Frank McKenna
Relations between the two countries are strong and the partnership, with respect to the use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, is on solid ground. In fact, immediately after the ILS Proton launch of the SES-3 satellite for SES and the Kazsat-2 satellite for the Republic of Kazakhstan in July, the heads of the two space agencies, Roscosmos and the KazCosmos, met to discuss launch site improvements at the Cosmodrome as well as future cooperation in advancements in space.
According to Vladimir Popovkin, in a recent statement to the press, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is under a long-term lease to Russia until 2050, will continue to be in full use for many decades to come as "the busiest launch site in the world".

SM
Can you tell us about the next-gen Angara launch vehicle? Its capabilities? Milestones toward actual use?


Frank McKenna
The Angara launch system will initially support federal missions with first flight test anticipated in late 2013 or early 2014 on an Angara 1.2 vehicle. ILS is offering a commercial payload opportunity for the second launch of Angara family of launch vehicles using the heavy Angara 5. The idea is to provide our commercial customers and the insurance community an early view of the Angara system. However this opportunity is a unique one, as we would consider commercial use of Angara only after it becomes fully flight-proven on Russian federal missions.
With 97 percent of the independent tests, as well as the comprehensive tests of the rocket's assemblies and bays now complete, the Angara system is on a steady development path.
Angara engines will use an environmentally friendly liquid oxygen-kerosene mixture and the family of vehicles will have lightweight, medium, and heavy lift variants. The first stage of the Angara system has flown 100 percent successfully during the first two missions of KSLV in 2009 and 2010. The Russian Federation and Khrunichev are fully committed to the development and fielding of the Angara system as the next generation family of launch vehicles.

SM
Do you observe progress being made in the attempts by commercial launch companies to attract military and government payloads, as Hosted Payloads become more viable? Does ILS have plans in this area?


Frank McKenna
ILS is the leader in commercial launch for shared and hosted payloads. ILS has launched and we are contracted to launch several satellites with hosted payloads. We launched Anik F1R in 2005 for Telesat, which has a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) payload for the FAA. Currently under contract we have Intelsat 22 for Intelsat, which has a UHF payload for Australian and U.S. defense forces, Anik G1 for Telesat with an X-band payload for Paradigm, Sirius 5 for SES with a European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) application for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Yahsat 1B, which will have a dual use payload for United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force.
We expect there will be more opportunities for the commercial launch sector with hosted payloads for military, commercial and civil use, considering the economic and schedule advantages this has for governments and the financial challenges and constraints that exist in support of global space programs. The more that commercial satellite operators augment their business plan with hosted payloads, the more common it will become in the commercial launch market.
ILS Proton is ideally suited for satellites that include hosted payloads. With a dedicated, heavy-lift launch system, ILS Proton offers optimal performance and on-time delivery to orbit. We can offer an economical solution to governments who need to deploy their programs at a lower cost to orbit than if they built their own satellite.

SM
Wh ere do you see the launch industry, in general, over the next year or two? Will there be more consolidation of various companies?


Frank McKenna
Consolidation is not likely, considering the strategic nature of launch vehicles in most countries. However, we do expect a shakeout of the commercial launch industry over the next several years as new entrants and reentrants to the market will be appearing at the same time as a decrease in demand for commercial launches. This follows the basics dynamics of market rationalization that occurred in the previous decade.

SM
When you look back over your career at ILS, what, in your opinion, has been the most significant achievement of the company during your tenure?


Frank McKenna
I would say more good fortune rather than an achievement for me, to be exposed to, and learn from, the talented peopleat ILS and Khrunichev to create a formidable force in the commercial heavy lift market. We have, together, secured more than $2 billion of business in our first year as a new entity in 2007, increased production and quality to launch a record eight commercial missions on a regular basis, sustained backlog of over 20 missions for the past four years, and have also created significant value for our heritage customers and new customers.
This has fostered a streamlined and customer-focused partnership with Khrunichev to serve the global commercial launch market for many years to come.

For additional information regarding ILS, please visit their website at:
http://www.ilslaunch.com
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#1
ЦитироватьInternational Launch Services 2011 Mid-Year Report

The continued support of our customers during a dynamic first half of the year in commercial launch has been absolutely essential for our success. The ILS Proton manifest, as with all launch providers, is dependent on the timely delivery of our contracted missions. This year, the first three commercial launches in our manifest were delayed due to satellite deliveries and after our first ILS Proton launch, there were further shifts in the launch schedule due to satellite in-orbit anomalies and technical issues.
However, ILS was able to minimize the impact of these delays on our downstream missions due to several factors: The robust production in the Proton factory, responsiveness of the ILS mission teams, and the new facilities that have been put in place at the launch site to accommodate overlapping campaigns. We appreciate the patience and support of our customers.
Our first mission of the year was for Telesat, with a successful launch on May 21, with the Telstar 14R/Estrela du Sol 2 satellite. ILS was able to accelerate this mission for Telesat due to the delayed delivery of other satellites that were scheduled to launch earlier in the year. Unfortunately, the satellite suffered a deployment anomaly after separation, and the resulting review process delayed deliveries of Space System/Loral spacecraft on our manifest. ILS Proton performed successfully on the mission and was exonerated during the anomaly review and cleared for future missions.

On July 16, ILS Proton launched the second mission for the year with a commercial first; a shared mission with the SES-3 satellite for SES and the KazSat-2 satellite to serve the Republic of Kazakhstan. SES-3 was the first Western satellite to be paired for launch with a Russian-built satellite. The SES-3 satellite was placed into geostationary transfer orbit, while the KazSat-2 satellite, built and managed by Khrunichev, was injected directly into geosynchronous orbit. This dual launch option was not previously available in the commercial market — and ILS was honored to have provided this attractive launch opportunity to our longtime customer, SES.
In addition to the shared launch option, ILS also offers the ILS Duo capability, designed in direct response to satellite operators' demand for a lower cost solution for the delivering smaller spacecraft to orbit. The ILS Proton Duo capability is currently being marketing in conjunction with Orbital Sciences Corporation with two Orbital satellites stacked on a heavy lift Proton. Proton has a proven track record of launching multiple spacecraft to different orbits successfully (with the Iridium, Glonass, Express, Cosmos and Raduga spacecraft), and most recently, as a commercial first with the shared launch of SES-3 and KazSat-2 last month.
Strong Partners in Space: Russia and Kazakhstan During the SES-3/KazSat-2 launch, high level dignitaries representing the Kazakh and Russian governments were in attendance to observe and offer support of this important milestone in the space industry for both countries. Fr om Kazakhstan, the Prime Minister, Karim Masimov, the Minister of Defense, Adilbek Dzaksybekov, and the head of the Kazakh Space Agency, Kazkosmos, Talgat Musabaev attended, and from Russia, there were the head of the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin and Khrunichev Director General, Vladimir Nesterov. Immediately following the launch, the heads of the two space agencies met jointly to discuss future cooperation and other common goals and interests in developments and advancements in space, launch site improvements and enhancing their well-established partnership.

Plans for Expansion

ILS continues to be well received in the global commercial launch market. We have signed a contract with Inmarsat for ILS Proton launches of their Global XPress™ constellation: Inmarsat 5 F1, Inmarsat 5 F2 and Inmarsat 5 F3. In addition to the Inmarsat triple award, we recently secured another ILS Proton launch in 2013, to be announced at a later
date.
Earlier in the year, we announced the ILS Proton launch of the SES-6 for SES in 2013, the sixth mission under the Multi-Launch Agreement (MLA) signed more than four years ago between ILS and SES Satellite Leasing Lim ited in the Isle of Man. One month later, we were awarded two launches from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) with the Turksat 4a satellite in 2013 and Turksat 4b satellite in 2014. Turksat 4a and 4b will serve MELCO's customer, Turksat, bringing direct TV broadcasting and telecommunications services throughout Turkey. This brings ILS to a total of seven new launch orders to date and a backlog of missions valuing nearly $2.5 billion dollars.

Maximized Throughput

The unique ability of ILS and our partner Khrunichev, to adapt to the evolving needs in the marketplace is critically important to our customers and we continue to work together to create flexible solutions to support their plans for growth, expansion and technological breakthroughs in the telecommunications industry.
Proton production has also contributed to our ability to serve and perform for our customers as demands require. With as many as 14 systems produced annually, the consolidation of key Proton suppliers under Khrunichev has contributed a steady production pace with maximized throughput to serve both the commercial and Federal Proton programs. To date, Proton has performed 31 consecutive successful missions since July of 2008; still the highest launch rate in the industry for a heavy-lift system.
The pace for the remainder of 2011 for ILS and Khrunichev will be rapid and robust. We plan to launch five to six additional commercial missions and three to four Federal Proton missions, with two commercial launches scheduled for September. ILS and Khrunichev are able to facilitate this rapid launch pace with the addition of the Second Spacecraft Processing Facility (SSPF) in Baikonur, completed this past spring. The SSPF allows overlapping campaigns, minimizing the required spacing between ILS launches from five to six weeks to around three weeks. Some of the upgrades include a new hotel for on-site personnel; two new spacecraft control rooms, new communications systems and several new offices. ILS Proton continues to provide unmatched schedule assurance and this demonstrated capability is strengthened with the addition of the SSPF. While the marketplace is dynamic, the ILS and Khrunichev partnership continues to serve our customers' goals and objectives. We look forward to a very busy second half of the year and thank our customers for their ongoing support, confidence and trust in ILS Proton.

s/Frank McKenn
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"


Инженер проекта

На китайском надо запостить.
«И каждый мнит себя стратегом,
Смотря на бой со стороны»

Дмитрий Виницкий

+35797748398

Инженер проекта

О, то ли дело, теперь всё понятно :)
«И каждый мнит себя стратегом,
Смотря на бой со стороны»

Salo

#6
http://www.spacenews.com/contracts/120309-ils-proton-launch-mexsat.html
ЦитироватьFri, 9 March, 2012
ILS Proton To Launch Mexsat-1
By Peter B. de Selding

PARIS — An International Launch Services (ILS) Proton rocket will launch Mexico's Mexsat-1 mobile communications satellite in 2013 or 2014 under a contract announced March 9 by Reston, Va.-based ILS.

Under the contract, with Mexico's Ministry of Communications and Transportation, an ILS Proton will place the 5,800-kilogram Mexsat-1 into geostationary transfer orbit, from where it will migrate to its operating position at 119 degrees west longitude.

Mexsat is a 702 HP design built by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems of El Segundo, Calif., as part of a three-satellite contract with the Mexican government. Boeing is also manufacturing a nearly identical Mexsat-2, and has hired Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., to build a third, smaller satellite under the same contract.

Mexsat-1 will feature a 22-meter unfurlable L-band antenna in addition to a 2-meter-diameter Ku-band antenna.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Not

Цитировать

Salo

#8
http://www.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=1&nid=2376
ЦитироватьРоссийская ракета-носитель выведет спутник в интересах Правительства Мексики
11.03.2012

9 марта 2012 года компания International Launch Services объявила о подписании контракта на запуск космического аппарата MEXSAT-1 с помощью ракеты-носителя "Протон-М» в интересах Министерства связи и транспорта Мексики.

Космический аппарат создается компанией Boeing Satellite Systems и будет рассчитан на 15 лет функционирования.

Запуск КА MEXSAT-1 планируется осуществить в период 2013-2014 г.г с космодрома Байконур .

Компания Interantional Launch Services Inc. (ILS) была зарегистрирована в 1995 году в США. Штаб квартира ILS расположена в г. Рестон, штат Виржиния. ILS имеет эксклюзивное право на маркетинг на мировом рынке российской ракеты-носителя тяжелого класса "Протон".

Подробнее о компании: http://www.ilslaunch.com/

С мая 2008 года контрольный пакет акций в ILS принадлежит ФГУП «Государственный космический научно-производственный центр имени М.В. Хруничева», который является разработчиком и изготовителем РН «Протон» и разгонного блока «Бриз-М».

Подробнее о компании: http://www.khrunichev.com/
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#9
http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsroom/news-releases/cto-roundtable-breakfast-satellite-2012
ЦитироватьCTO Roundtable Breakfast at Satellite 2012

The Satellite 2012 Conference, held Monday-March 12-14 in Washington, DC was host to over 11,000 attendees from all corners of the globe representing a wide range of top executives, technologists, service providers and end-users in the satellite industry.

ILS's Vice President and Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Jim Bonner, participated as a panelist in one of the Engineering Pre-Day programs entitled, "CTO Roundtable Breakfast: The Next Generation for Satellite Technology." The session covered new advances, solutions, trends and developments on both the satellite and the launch side of the business as well as how the industry is meeting customers' technical demands with a look towards the future.

Led by moderator, Denis Curtin, Principal of Eagle Group Partners, and in addition to Bonner, participants included Thierry Guillemin of Intelsat, Martin Halliwell of SES, Adrian Morris from Hughes, Ruy Pinto of Inmarsat and Herman Pon from Iridium Communications. The following is a summary of ILS' participation in the panel discussion.

The Evolutionary Development of the Proton Launch System Addressing technological enhancements that have been made to the Proton vehicle to improve performance, Bonner stated that the heritage Proton system has been through a series of improvements with 100 percent flight success on all elements to date.

The Phase IV enhancements, now in development, will provide 150 kg of additional performance to geosynchronous transfer orbit bringing the total payload systems mass capability to 6.3MT to a reference orbit with a 1500 m/sec residual delta V. The Proton evolutionary enhancements have provided a total increase in payload lift capability of over 1200 kg. Later this month, ILS will fly its first mission to a Super Synchronous Transfer Orbit, a mission design that will provide 200 kg of additional performance. These enhancements will be incorporated into the manifest in 2014. Proton has maintained the position as the preferred heavy launch vehicle of choice of by incorporating incremental performance improvements designed to address the growing spacecraft mass growth requirements.

Meeting Customers' Requirements with Flexible Solutions
As a launch services provider to a dynamic industry, ILS needs to be able to react to changes. One example of how ILS is meeting the changing requirements of operators is accommodating new technologies that our customers would like to pursue, such as large spacecraft with hybrid or all electric propulsion. In removing the chemical propulsion systems on standard spacecraft, there is additional room for larger payloads to be launched. ILS and Khrunichev are developing a 5-meter fairing to accommodate such payloads, working closely with spacecraft manufacturers and operators to meet their specifications. Another example is the launch of dual payloads. Proton has a proven track record of launching multiple spacecraft to different orbits (with the Iridium, Glonass, Express, Cosmos and Raduga spacecraft), and most recently, as a commercial first with the shared launch of SES-3 and KazSat-2 last year.

Next Generation for Launch: Angara
The next generation Angara launch system will initially support federal missions with first flight test anticipated in late 2013 on an Angara 1.2 vehicle. ILS is offering a commercial payload opportunity for the second launch of Angara family of launch vehicles using the heavy Angara 5. The idea is to provide our commercial customers and the insurance community an early view of the Angara system. Full commercial use is not anticipated until 2016 after new launch facilities are constructed for commercial use. There would be an overlap of the use of the Proton and Angara vehicles for a period of approximately 3-4 years.

With 97% of the independent tests, as well as the comprehensive tests of the rocket's assemblies and bays now complete, the Angara system is on a steady development path. Angara engines will use an environmentally friendly liquid oxygen-kerosene mixture and the family of vehicles will have lightweight, medium, and heavy lift variants. The first stage of the Angara system has flown 100% successfully during the first two missions of KSLV in 2009 and 2010.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#10
http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsroom/ils-news/robust-launch-year-well-underway
ЦитироватьA Robust Launch Year is Well Underway

ILS Proton Facilitates Business Plans for Customers and Hosted/Dual-Use Payloads for Government End-Users

July 31, 2012

The first half of the year has proven to be a year of performance for ILS and Khrunichev, with five commercial launches conducted already this year and six Protons launched in just under five months. Over time, ILS and Khrunichev have created additional capabilities to meet our customers' requirements.

The remarkable launch pace of the Proton vehicle has been accomplished through the capabilities that ILS and Khrunichev have put in place: the phased improvements to the performance of the vehicle, upgraded facilities at the launch site, and ramped up factory throughput.

Khrunichev has steadily invested $400 million dollars in facilities and testing over the past five years to support the Proton production line and quality system. The overhaul of the quality management system, implemented in 2008, has yielded a 100% flight success rate for all commercial ILS missions, totaling 29 missions. With a sustained backlog of 20 or more launches for five years, ILS is poised to launch up to 10 or 11 commercial missions by the end of the year in addition to 3-4 Federal missions for Proton. This remains the highest launch rate in the industry for a heavy-lift system.

Meeting Customers' Plans for Expansion and Immersion Into New Markets
Our launch year began on February 14 with longtime customer SES, when ILS Proton launched the largest satellite in SES' fleet, the SES-4 satellite at 6.18 metric tons. The hybrid SES-4 satellite was the 20th SES satellite launched on ILS Proton, providing enhanced capacity across three continents including some emerging markets.

Our first hosted payload launched this year was a specialized UHF communications payload for use by the Australian Defence Force embarked on the IS-22 satellite for Intelsat. This mission was the first to feature an injection into a supersynchronous transfer orbit (SSTO) for ILS Proton and resulted in 18 years of operational maneuverable lifetime for IS-22. In May, the Nimiq 6 satellite for Telesat was lofted into geostationary transfer orbit by ILS Proton, meeting demand for additional high-powered Ku-band capacity for DTH services in Canada.

The Y1B satellite, launched in April, was for new customer Yahsat of Abu Dhabi with a payload to serve the UAE government and military as well as commercial customers. Our third hosted payload delivered this year was on the SES-5 satellite, launched on July 10. SES-5 carried the first EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigational Overlay System) payload developed by the European Commission (EC) as well as capacity for SES' commercial customers.

Three out of the five ILS Proton missions already launched this year included hosted or dual-use payloads to serve government clients to deploy civil or military applications. Launching on a dedicated vehicle, such as ILS Proton, offers several advantages to our customers: added schedule assurance, lower cost to orbit and customized mission designs to provide optimum performance. The Anik G1 satellite for Telesat, which includes an X-band payload for Paradigm, will be launched before the end of the year.

Increased Throughput and Launch Facility Upgrades to Serve the Market
The improvements at the launch site, including upgrades to the Proton launch pads and processing facilities allow us to accommodate overlapping campaigns and launch at a rapid pace. Our proven surge capability, as demonstrated last year with 9 Proton launches in under 7 months, continues to set the Proton launch system apart.

New Business Expansion Continues
New and return customers have placed their trust in ILS Proton with several launch orders this year, with three firm contracts for up to six missions signed in the first half of the year. These include a new customer, the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) of Mexico for the launch of Mexsat-1 in 2013. Last month, we announced a contract for veteran customer AsiaSat of Hong Kong for a new launch service as early as 2014. This agreement allows AsiaSat the ability to utilize the ILS Proton launch vehicle for any of its upcoming 3 satellites: AsiaSat 6, 8 or AsiaSat 9. We also secured a new launch service agreement with another customer, with a firm mission to be announced in the future.

On the heels of the 17th anniversary of the formation of ILS on June 15, 1995, ILS and Khrunichev have launched 74 commercial missions and continue to serve our worldwide customers, launching at the rate of about once per month. ILS and Khrunichev look forward to a fast-paced second half of the year. As always, our focus is to launch successfully with sustained quality, performance and value for all of our customers.

Frank McKenna

President, International Launch Services
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#11
http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsroom/news-releases/international-launch-services-announces-vice-president
ЦитироватьInternational Launch Services Announces Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications

RESTON, VA, September 4, 2012 - Dawn Harms has been hired as the new vice president of sales, marketing and communications for International Launch Services (ILS). As a key member of the ILS executive team, Harms is responsible for leading the implementation of sales, marketing strategy, customer relations and new business development.

Harms brings to ILS over 20 years of experience serving the satellite and telecommunications industry, most recently as vice president for marketing and sales operations at Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) in Palo Alto, California, where she was responsible for SS/L's sales operations activities. Prior to that post, Harms held sales and engineering positions at SS/L. Before SS/L, Harms worked in engineering and management capacities for Teledyne MEC.

Harms holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), from University of Wisconsin–Madison with an emphasis on Electromagnetics and Microwave Theory.

"Dawn has a considerable career in commercial satellite and telecommunications and we welcome her to ILS to lead a very talented group, be on the executive leadership team and provide customer focus across the globe," said President of ILS, Frank McKenna.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#12
http://spacejournal.ohio.edu/issue15/harms.html
Цитировать

Dawn Harms is Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Space Systems/Loral, a manufacturer of communications satellites headquartered in Palo Alto, California. She is responsible for new business development, sales and marketing for the company. Ms. Harms joined SS/L in 1990 as a subcontract engineering manager and later served as the director of Asia Pacific Business Development.

Prior to joining Space Systems/Loral, Ms. Harms was the product-line manager for commercial communications Traveling Wave Tubes (TWTs) at Teledyne MEC in Palo Alto, California. Before that she held a variety of other TWT design engineering and program management positions at Teledyne.

Ms. Harms earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering fr om the University of Wisconsin and has completed numerous advanced engineering and management programs.

1) How did you get started in the satellite business?

My first job after graduation from college was as a design engineer of Traveling Wave Tubes (TWTs) at Teledyne MEC in Palo Alto, California. Although most new engineering graduates were favoring more high technology positions, there was something about the TWT and vacuum tube technology that fascinated me. When I learned that TWTs had attributes that make them particularly amenable to space applications, I knew I was headed in the right direction.

In 1990, I was recruited by Ford Aerospace (which later became Space Systems/Loral), a commercial satellite manufacturer in Silicon Valley, as their Traveling Wave Tube specialist for satellite payloads.

2) How have you been involved in changes brought about in or by this business (innovations, technologies, services)?

As an engineer at Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), I was the technical liaison between the systems engineers and hardware suppliers. I specified and oversaw the manufacture of radio frequency (RF) hardware used in satellite payloads. The emerging broadcast television market wanted lower cost access to transponders so we drove the TWT suppliers to continuously increase the output power and efficiency of their product. SS/L supported the development of direct radiating collectors for TWTs, which allow heat to be radiated directly into space rather than via the satellite's communications panels. This facilitated higher power satellite platforms and improved the business models for direct-to-user applications such as DISH Network, DIRECTV and Sirius XM Radio.

Today, in my role in sales and marketing, I've been an advocate for technology developments that provide value to satellite operators and help make my customers more competitive in their markets.

3) What do you think was the greatest event/situation/opportunity you experienced?

Closing a two satellite deal on the Mekong River in the mid 1990's for a joint venture between some Thai entrepreneurs and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was a pretty special event, but this is just one of many. My career is chock-full of fantastic experiences and I am sure the best are yet to come.

4) What was the greatest obstacle?

Obstacle? What obstacle?

5) What do you see happening in the next five years in this industry?

On the technical side I see more power onboard satellites, perhaps upwards of 30 kilowatts in the next 5 years. Satellite operators and manufacturers will continue to push rocket manufacturers to launch larger and heavier payloads more cheaply - at least until the lim its of physics have been reached.

On the business side I see consolidation within the mobile satellite service sector with more realizable business plans.

Finally, my crystal ball foretells of government-hosted payloads on commercial satellites as a baby step towards our government adopting commercial procurement practices to bring the sky-high price tags for current U.S. government systems back down to earth.

6) What advice do you have for women interested in entering the industry?

This is a great industry - one that nurtures life-long careers with enough breadth to allow you to evolve as your interests change.

Seek out mentors from within the industry. Become an expert in some aspect of the business. For those women who aspire to progress through the male-dominated aerospace hierarchy into executive management, articulate your goals to your management and ask for their support in attaining to your goals. Take every opportunity to build your skills. And network!
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#13
http://www.spacenews.com/launch/proton-set-return-flight-oct-carrying-intelsat-is-23.html
ЦитироватьTue, 11 September, 2012
Proton Set To Return to Flight Oct. 14 Carrying Intelsat's IS-23
By Peter B. de Selding


Frank McKenna. Credit: Space News photo by Rob Curtis

PARIS — Russia's Proton Breeze-M rocket will return to flight Oct. 14 with Intelsat's IS-23 satellite following a Russian inquiry board's conclusion that an out-of-specification component in a Breeze-M fuel line caused the August launch failure, Proton commercial operator International Launch Services (ILS) said Sept. 11.

A Russian federal government mission carrying a Russian Lutch data-relay satellite and Gazprom Space Systems' Yamal 300K telecommunications satellite will follow on Nov. 2, ILS President Frank McKenna said. The ILS and Russian federal government manifest on Proton rockets following November remains unclear and will not be decided until the end of September, he said.

Proton is likely to be able to conduct two or three more launches by the end of the year in addition to the two campaigns already identified.

Briefing reporters here during the World Satellite Business Week conference organized by Euroconsult, McKenna said a Russian government commission looking into the Aug. 6 failure, which left Russian and Indonesian telecommunications satellites in useless orbits, has clearly identified the failure's cause and remedial action.

The Breeze-M upper stage failed to deliver sufficient thrust on the third of its planned ignitions because of a small metallic orifice inside a fuel line that was not manufactured according to specifications, McKenna said.

The component was built by Polyot of Omsk, Russia, in a manufacturing plant owned by Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow, which is Proton's prime contractor and for the last several years has assembled most Proton subcontractors under its management.

McKenna said the defective pressurization-line component was built by Khrunichev until 2011, when it was moved to Polyot in 2011 as part of a general reorganization of Proton assembly.

The Polyot-built component has flown on several flights without failing, a fact that McKenna said helps explain why the defect, which he said was due to a misunderstanding at Polyot of how the part should be built, escaped Polyot and Krunichev review tests.

Given that the defect only occurred at certain pressure thresholds, McKenna said, it was not picked up as the component was tested with Khrunichev oversight.

The component will be removed from two Breeze-M upper stages awaiting integration at the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in Kazakhstan. The components will also be replaced at those Breeze-M stages at Khrunichev. It is not yet entirely clear, he said, how quickly replacement components can be qualified and installed into new Breeze-Ms, which is why the company will refrain from announcing a manifest for a few weeks.

McKenna said that, like a software issue that caused the last Proton Breeze-M failure, in August 2011, ILS's own quality control system likely would not have picked up the defect that caused this latest failure.

He said that the same flight also witnessed "a slight deviation" in the performance of the Proton third stage, but he said this had no effect on the mission.

In addition to the Russian government inquiry, ILS assembled two insurance underwriters and nine satellite fleet operator customers, in addition to an outside expert in propulsion, to review the Russian findings the week of Sept. 10.

McKenna said space insurance underwriters will be briefed on the inquiry in the United States on Sept. 18 in Reston, Va., and on Sept. 20 in Munich. He said no ILS customers have indicated they would be seeking alternative launch services because of the Proton failure.

The Proton rocket has been the most active among the principal satellite launch vehicles in the past couple of years following Khrunichev's decision to ramp up production.

McKenna said Proton has launched 45 times since 2008, which is more than all its competitors combined, whose total he said is 35 launches.

Russian government officials, including the Russian president and the prime minister, have been withering in their criticism of the space industry since the August failure, ultimately accepting the resignation of Khrunichev Director-General Vladimir Nesterov.

McKenna said that while the postfailure review will include a government-ordered re-evaluation of the quality assurance regime applied throughout the Proton manufacturing system, ILS has found no systemic issue that needs to be addressed.

ILS has 19 commercial missions in its backlog. The company expects that while it will take some time to make up the two months of grounding following the failure, there will be almost no effect on ILS customers awaiting launches in 2013.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Космос-3794

Генеральный директор SES, Romain Bausch, на встрече с журналистами 12 сентября сказал, что в SES озадачены последними проблемами с РН Протон-М Бриз-М.

"Слишком много аварий происходит у ILS. Даже одна авария это много. В нашем пусковом соглашении предусмотрен пункт, позволяющий нам выйти из договора, если число аварий превысит некоторый предел. Он не пройден, но близок..."

http://www.spacenews.com/launch/120914-ses-launch-order-adds-spacex-backlog.html

Павел

Ну да, можно понять мужика - авария а перед этим два ихних спутника мурыжили 3 и 2 месяца соответственно. Уйдут на Куру и привет филёвским  :D
In vino veritas

Salo

#16
ЦитироватьКосмос-3794 пишет:

Генеральный директор SES, Romain Bausch, на встрече с журналистами 12 сентября сказал, что в SES озадачены последними проблемами с РН Протон-М Бриз-М.

"Слишком много аварий происходит у ILS. Даже одна авария это много. В нашем пусковом соглашении предусмотрен пункт, позволяющий нам выйти из договора, если число аварий превысит некоторый предел. Он не пройден, но близок..."

http://www.spacenews.com/launch/120914-ses-launch-order-adds-spacex-backlog.html
Там же:
ЦитироватьIndustry officials say the SES order brings to over $1 billion the backlog of commercial satellites now on SpaceX's manifest. While some of these companies, including SES, have easy exits to other vehicles if SpaceX does not perform, this is not true of all SpaceX customers.

Frank McKenna, president of International Launch Services (ILS) of Reston, Va. — a veteran launch service provider and a principal SpaceX competitor — said he has calculated that SpaceX is, on average, just under 50 percent less expensive than ILS, Arianespace of France and other established launch service providers.

For McKenna, the SpaceX phenomenon means that nearly $500 million has been withheld from the commercial launch industry — an industry not generally associated with thick profit margins — in the less than three years since SpaceX arrived on the scene.

For SES and others, it is $500 million in savings.

A half-dozen industry officials interviewed here during the World Satellite Business Week conference organized by Euroconsult said they have never seen the commercial market book so much business on a rocket with so little flight heritage.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Космос-3794

Из интервью с Tierry Guillemin генеральным конструктором (Chief technology officer) Intelsat:

 - Intelsat поддержал Sea Launch при прохождениии процедур выхода из банкротства, а также подписал первый коммерческий контракт с SpaceX на запуск РН Falcon Heavy. В какой степени чрезмерная конкуренция на рынке запусков подрывает долгосрочную жизнеспособность пусковых провайдеров?

 - Мы первыми подписали контракт на Falcon Heavy, и мы всегда приветствуем новых участников (рынка) и новые тенденции. В последние два года поставка спутников, в основном, производится вовремя или даже с некоторым опережением графика. Затем они месяцами ждут запуска. По мне, это индикатор того что система нуждается в дополнительных мощностях. Мы все работаем над оптимизацией сроков. В 2012 году неприемлемо месяцами оставлять дорогое оборудование в ожидании запуска.
Признанные компании-провайдеры должны приспособиться к новым условиям. Те кто запускался на Протоне в этом году должны знать как это нелегко оказаться на орбите вовремя. Поэтому так важно иметь достаточно игроков, причем квалифицированных игроков.

Salo

#18
http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsroom/ils-news/euroconsult-world-satellite-business-week-launch-panel-september-12
ЦитироватьEuroconsult World Satellite Business Week Launch Panel on September 12

The 14th annual Euroconsult World Satellite Business Week held September 10-15, 2012 in Paris, France, welcomed several hundred attendees including some of the most influential business executives in the commercial space industry. The session entitled "Launch Service Providers Seek the Right Tempo," on September 12, was moderated by Warren Ferster, Editor of Space News and included top executives from the commercial and government launch market: International Launch Services (ILS), Arianespace, Sea Launch, Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, China Great Wall Industry Corp. and SpaceX.

Ferster opened up the launch panel with a summary of the current commercial launch industry with new entrants such as SpaceX, the re-entry of Sea Launch and industry veterans such as ILS and Arianespace, all actively competing for launch orders in a softening market. Panelists responded to a wide range of industry topics and questions posed by the moderator. The following are McKenna's remarks and responses to questions during the panel.

Return to Flight and Status of Investigation of August 7 Russian Federal Mission
There have been seven Proton launches performed this year; five commercial and two Russian Federal Missions. On August 7, the seventh Proton launch of the year, the Russian Federal mission with the Telkom 3/Express MD-2 satellites, failed to reach the intended orbit. The Russian State Commission issued a report which identified a component in the pressurization system that was not manufactured to specifications. This caused a shutdown of the Breeze M Main engine by the Breeze M flight control system during the 3rd burn of the mission.

The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) was established after the anomaly and was comprised of representatives from nine ILS customers, two insurance underwriting representatives and an independent outside subject matter expert. The FROB concluded its review on September 11 and concurred with the findings and corrective action plan of the Russian State Commission. The corrective actions will include broad and thorough oversight of all rework procedures, testing, support equipment, and personnel, both at the Khrunichev (KhSC) production facilities and in Baikonur. ILS and KhSC will also develop specific initiatives to enhance the long-term Quality Management System (QMS) that has been in place and operating at all KhSC production facilities.

The return to flight mission will be the ILS Proton launch of the IS-23 satellite for Intelsat S. A. of Luxembourg in mid-October. Following that mission will be a Russian Federal launch. By the end of the month, the remainder of the Proton launch manifest for this year will be established. We expect that there will be 2-3 additional Proton missions before the end of the year.

Quality Assurance Measures
ILS will be conducting a comprehensive and independent review of the quality systems, processes and measures following the August 7 Russian Federal mission anomaly. It is expected that the series of risk-based audits and new initiatives will be implemented in the fourth quarter of this year.

The modern framework of the Quality Management System (QMS) began in 2008, when forty-six unique short term, intermediate and long-term quality initiatives were defined and funded, involving not only quality but also the design and production of the Proton vehicle. This led to a unified QMS for ILS and KhSC. Since that time, most Proton suppliers and manufacturers have been integrated under KhSC, the Proton production rate has increased substantially and all phased enhancements to the vehicle have been successfully flown.

Proton Launch History/Robust Production Throughput
McKenna spoke about the launch pace of the Proton vehicles with some facts and figures:
• There have been 29 consecutive successful commercial launches since July 2008.
• ILS has a backlog of 19 missions and has held an average of over 20 for five years.
• Proton has also conducted 45 flights over a four-year timeframe. This is a higher launch rate than all other commercial launch systems combined.

Khrunichev Leadership; Vladimir Nesterov Legacy
Over the past seven years, Vladimir Nesterov held the position of director general at Khrunichev, the majority owner of ILS and one of the pillars of the Russian space industry with over 43,000 employees and multiple product lines from launch vehicles and launch vehicle upper stages, communication and earth observation satellites to rocket engines and Space Station modules.

McKenna said that during Nesterov's tenure, Proton production has increased dramatically and all of the suppliers and manufacturers of the Proton system have been vertically integrated. Nesterov was instrumental in the development of the next generation Angara system, which will conduct its maiden flight in 2013.

On September 3, 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Presidential Decree accepting Nesterov's resignation as director general of Khrunichev, with Vasily Sychev appointed as acting Director General. Sychev was formerly acting in the capacity of First Deputy General Director at Khrunichev. The position will be formalized with a permanent replacement announced when the governmental process is completed.

Competing and Creating Value in A Dynamic Marketplace
There has been reduction in commercial communications satellites ordered over the past two years after operators have largely completed their planned replacement cycles. At the peak, there were 26 commercial launches to GEO, but this has tapered off and will return to a long-term average of roughly around 20.

Important dynamics have reshaped the small-to medium-lift marketplace. SpaceX has won nearly $1 billion dollars in commercial business without a real flight record; a tremendous achievement. Those missions would most likely have been awarded to Arianespace, who has enjoyed a monopoly in that market segment until SpaceX's arrival. "This creates an interesting dynamic in the marketplace," said McKenna, "and we are happy to participate in it."

McKenna said that ILS developed the ILS Proton Duo offering in direct response to operators' demand for lower costs/kilogram to orbit and the concerns regarding the monopoly position of Arianespace and the sharp rise in prices for the small to medium satellite launches.

ILS Proton can offer a performance rocket to bring satellites using electric propulsion for orbit raising to a higher transfer orbit. This capability would reduce orbit-raising time from 6 months down to 4 weeks. ILS Proton can offer the capability to launch electric propulsion satellites in a single or stacked configuration to support the smaller to medium size satellite trend.

Is There Room in Commercial Launch for Several Players?
With reduced demand and an increase in the number of launchers competing in the market; this will surely create stress in the launch industry. As we have predicted, oversupply will be damaging to the marketplace and will result in a restructure of the industry. In the near and long term, 2-3 players can adequately accommodate the market and demand.

ILS and Khrunichev are now preparing to launch the 75th ILS Proton mission next month with the IS-23 satellite for Intelsat S.A. with plans for 3-4 additional Proton launches by the end of the year. We thank our customers for their support, confidence and trust as we safely return to flight. As always, our focus is always to launch successfully with sustained quality and performance.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/article/mckenna-out-as-ils-chief-executive#.UK_uTGfvqBg

ЦитироватьMcKenna Out as ILS Chief Executive

Nov. 20, 2012

NAPLES, Italy — International Launch Services (ILS) Chief Executive Frank McKenna is leaving the company after six years and is being replaced by long-time Chief Financial Officer Phil Slack, ILS announced Nov. 20.

Reston, Va.-based ILS did not explain the reason for the abrupt change, which is effective immediately and is the latest management shakeup in the company in recent months. ILS's chief commercial and technical officers also have been replaced, for reasons unrelated to each other.

Proton rocket prime contractor and ILS's principal owner, Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow, itself has seen a management change this year as its chief executive was forced to step down in the wake of Russian government complaints about recent Proton reliability.

ILS has little input into Proton's manufacturing but is responsible for selling the rocket on the global commercial market. The vehicle thus far has not had a good year compared to Europe's Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift rocket, which is Proton's principal competitor.

Commercial rocket sales ride not only the overall tides of the market, but also what kinds of satellites are ordered. Owners of smaller satellites, which can be launched as secondary payloads on Ariane 5, often conclude that Evry, France-based Arianespace a better match for their satellites, which otherwise would need to ride as solo passengers on Proton.

Under McKenna's leadership, ILS has been trying to adapt Proton to be able to handle dual launches of smaller telecommunications satellites as a way to capture part of the market that is now wedded to Arianespace.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"