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ILS ownership changes ILS NEWS RELEASE Posted: October 12, 2006 Lockheed Martin Corporation's shares of ILS International Launch Services Inc. were transferred Oct. 11 to Space Transport Inc. The sale was announced on Sept. 7, 2006. Also Oct. 11, the ILS Board of Directors appointed Frank McKenna, 53, as the company's president. McKenna, who has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, served as ILS' vice president and deputy for the last two years, responsible for overall strategy, partnership management and customer initiatives. Additionally, McKenna was elected to the ILS board. ILS provides sales, marketing, licensing and mission management for launches of the Proton vehicle to commercial customers around the world. To date, there have been 43 commercial Proton launches. Currently, ILS has 11 firm missions in backlog scheduled to launch through 2008. "Going forward, our customers can expect our commitment to performance, as we continue to focus on meeting their launch requirements successfully and on schedule using the Proton launch system," McKenna said. Space Transport Inc. was formed specifically for this transaction by Mario Lemme, who has been a consultant to ILS since its inception and a Board member for more than three years. "I am looking forward to continuing my long-term involvement with ILS," said Lemme. "Our focus is on providing premier launch services with the ILS team and our joint venture partner, Khrunichev." International Launch Services is the U.S.-Russian joint venture between Space Transport Inc. and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center with RSC Energia. ILS has the exclusive rights for worldwide commercial sales and mission management of satellite launches on Russia's premier vehicle, the Proton, and the future Angara vehicle. ILS is incorporated in Delaware in the United States, and is headquartered in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. |
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The three-man Expedition 14 crew of the International Space Station complete a short trip, flying their Soyuz capsule to another docking port in preparation for receiving a resupply ship.
Space shuttle Discovery's STS-39 flight, launched in April 1991, served as a research mission for the U.S. Department of Defense. An instrument-laden spacecraft for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization was released to watch Discovery perform countless rocket firings and maneuvers, as well as canisters releasing clouds of gas. The crew tells the story of the mission in this post-flight film presentation.
Seeking to study explosive forces across the universe, the Gamma Ray Observatory was launched aboard shuttle Atlantis in April 1991. But when the craft's communications antenna failed to unfold, spacewalking astronauts ventured outside the shuttle to save the day. The rescue EVA was followed by a planned spacewalk to test new equipment and techniques. The crew of STS-37 narrate this post-flight mission film.
Dazzling images from Mars are revealed by scientists. The robotic rover Opportunity has reached the massive Victoria crater with its steep cliffs and layers of rock exposing the planet's geologic history. Meanwhile, the new Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed the rover and its surroundings from high above.