ILS International Launch Services, operated by Lockheed Martin and Russia's Khrunichev and Energia companies, has gained $1 billion worth of launch orders in 2000, Al Smith, executive vice-president of Lockheed's Space Systems Company said at the Show.
The orders include 13 firm launch orders with 17 options for a mix of the full complement Proton and Atlas boosters. The company's overall launch order backlog is worth $3 billion.
So far this year, Smith says, the Proton had launched eight missions, including an unprecedented four missions in 19 days although two were not by ILS but national launches, including the flight of the Zvezda service module.
The Atlas fleet has completed six missions this year, which included the maiden flight of the Atlas IIIA, boosted by the Russian-based RD-180 engine.
Smith also said that the Atlas fleet had completed 52 consecutive successful launches.
ILS markets the Atlas IIAS, IIIA and Proton M and Breeze M boosters, of which the latter recently made its first successful flight, and the Atlas IIIB and Atlas V 400 and 500 series. The Atlas V is being developed as part of the US Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle programme.
Source: Flight Daily News