ILS Signs Contract with Orbital to Launch Thor II-R Satellite for Telenor.MCLEAN, Va. -- International Launch Services International Launch Services (or ILS) was formed in 1995 as a private spaceflight partnership between the United States defense contractor Lockheed Martin (LM) (LM sold their part later) and the Russian firms Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC (ILS ILS In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Israeli Shekel. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. ), a Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. company (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :LMT LMT left mentotransverse (position of fetus). ), and Orbital Sciences Corp. have signed a contract for launch of the Orbital-built Thor II-R satellite on a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle. Financial terms were not disclosed. The mission is planned for late 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Baikonur or Baykonur Cosmodrome (both: bī'kən  r`), formerly secret aerospace launch complex, Qyzylorda prov. in Kazakhstan. This is ILS' first launch contract for an Orbital satellite. It also is the ninth award of the year for International Launch Services. Both companies are based in suburbs of Washington, D.C. - ILS in McLean, Va., and Orbital in Dulles, Va. Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, which will operate the spacecraft, is based in Oslo, Norway, and serves the Nordic countries, Europe and the Middle East. "We thank Telenor and Orbital for choosing Proton for this important delivery-in-orbit mission," said ILS President Mark Albrecht Mark J. Albrecht born March 10, 1950 St. Louis, Missouri. BA, MA UCLA (phi beta kappa), PhD the Rand Graduate School. Albrecht is a senior aerospace and telecommunications executive with broad government and industry experience. . "As this is the first time for all of us to be working together, I appreciate the confidence of both organizations in the Proton Breeze M vehicle." Ali Atia, president of Orbital Communications International, said, "Having a dedicated vehicle with the capability and reliability of Proton ensures we have the best value in launch services for this mission." Cato Halsaa, managing director of Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, said: "We chose the ILS Proton because it has the demonstrated reliability and launch tempo that Telenor established as criteria for the Thor II-R program." International Launch Services is the global leader in the space launch industry, offering the two best launch systems: Atlas and Proton. With a remarkable launch rate of 78 missions since 2000, the Atlas and Proton launch vehicles have consistently demonstrated the reliability and flexibility that have made them preferred choice among satellite operators worldwide. Since the beginning of 2003, ILS has signed more new commercial contracts than all of its competitors combined. ILS was formed in 1995, and is based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales of $35.5 billion. lmco.com. |
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