RESTON, Virginia, April 9, 2021–Twenty-five years ago, on April 9, 1996, a combined Russian, American and European team made space history with the first launch of a Western satellite onboard a Russian rocket. The Proton launch vehicle carried the ASTRA 1F satellite for SES of Luxembourg, to geosynchronous transfer orbit with an early morning liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The launch services for this milestone mission were conducted by International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S. company, headquartered in Reston, Virginia and established in 1995. The Proton launch vehicle, a U.S. Department of State licensed launch system, is manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, of Moscow.
Today, Proton has conducted 97 commercial missions for over 50 companies representing 25 countries across the globe, forging ongoing partnerships in international cooperation in space.
“Since the landmark first commercial Proton launch, industrial engagement between American and Russian space firms has led to decades of peaceful commercial cooperation. ILS has been honored to enable the deployment of communication technologies and services to benefit national security, first responders and emergency services, disaster relief efforts, scientific advancement, and consumers. We look forward to fostering innovation and a bright future for our customers, alongside our Russian partners, using the array of services offered by the workhorse Proton, the Angara 1.2, Angara 5, Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-5 family of launch vehicles,” said Tiphaine Louradour, ILS President.
Alexei Varochko, Director General of Khrunichev, said, “The launch of the Astra 1F spacecraft 25 years ago marked the entry of the Russian Proton launch vehicle into the international launch service market. We, as a shareholder of ILS and an operator of the Proton and Angara launch vehicle family launch services, will continue our work in order to perform under international space projects in the future”.
“Glavkosmos and GK Launch Services are proud to be partnering with ILS, offering launch services using the Soyuz launch vehicle family,” said Dmitry Loskutov, Director General of Glavkosmos. “We congratulate ILS on this important milestone in the commercial space history. We look forward to working with ILS to conduct additional missions to serve the world market.”
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International Launch Services (ILS)
Established over 25 years ago with 97 commercial Proton launches to date, ILS offers a complete array of services and support–from contract management, licensing, and mission management–with a tailored approach for each valued customer. ILS markets the Proton, Angara 1.2, Angara 5, Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-5 launch vehicles to serve commercial and government customers worldwide. The addition of the venerable Soyuz to its launch vehicle line-up was announced by ILS In March 2020. The range of Proton, Angara and Soyuz launch vehicle services are offered under a joint agreement with ILS and GK Launch Services, a subsidiary of Glavkosmos.
With the combined teams of ILS, majority owner, Khrunichev State Space Center, Glavkosmos and GK Launch Services, ILS continues to expand and evolve, with flexible solutions and cost-effective access to space for global customers.
ILS is U.S. company headquartered in Reston, VA., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Youtube.
For more information about Khrunichev, visit http://www.khrunichev.ru/main.php?lang=en
For more information about Glavkosmos, visit https://www.glavkosmos.com/en/
For more information on GK Launch Services, visit http://gklaunch.ru/en/