3Q2008 Quarterly Report
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Federal Aviation Administration Quarterly Launch Report 3rd Quarter 2008 Featuring Launch Results from the 2nd Quarter and Forecasts for the 3rd and 4th Quarter 2008 HQ-08593 Third Quarter 2008 Quarterly Launch Report 1 Introduction The Third Quarter 2008 Quarterly Launch Report features launch results from the second quarter of 2008 (April - June 2008) and forecasts for the third quarter of 2008 (July - September 2008) and the fourth quarter of 2008 (October - December 2008). This report contains information on worldwide commercial, civil, and military orbital and commercial suborbital space launch events. Projected launches have been identified from open sources, including industry contacts, company manifests, periodicals, and government sources. Projected launches are subject to change. This report highlights commercial launch activities, classifying commercial launches as one or both of the following: • Internationally-competed launch events (i.e., launch opportunities considered available in principle to competitors in the international launch services market); • Any launches licensed by the Office of Commercial Space Transportation of the Federal Aviation Administration under 49 United States Code Subtitle IX, Chapter 701 (formerly the Commercial Space Launch Act). Contents Second Quarter 2008 Highlights . .2 Vehicle Use . .4 Commercial Launch Events by Country . .5 Commercial vs. Non-commercial Launch Events . .5 Orbital vs. Suborbital Launch Events . .6 Launch Successes vs. Failures . .6 Payload Use . .7 Payload Mass Class . .7 Commercial Launch Trends . .8 Commercial Launch History . .9 Appendix A: Second Quarter 2008 Orbital and Suborbital Launch Events . .A-1 Appendix B: Third Quarter 2008 Projected Orbital and Suborbital Launch Events . .B-1 Appendix C: Fourth Quarter 2008 Projected Orbital and Suborbital Launch Events . .C-1 Cover photo courtesy of United Launch Alliance, Copyright © 2008. An Atlas V lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) on April 14, 2008. The launch carried ICO G1, a commercial communications satellite operated by ICO Global Communications, into geosynchronous (GEO) orbit. Third Quarter 2008 Quarterly Launch Report 2 Second Quarter 2008 Highlights EADS Astrium Purchases In April, EADS Astrium, Europe's largest satellite manufactur- Majority Stake in Surrey er, announced an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Satellite Technology Ltd. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL), a leading developer of small satellites (smallsats). Under the agreement, EADS Astrium will acquire 80 percent of SSTL for an estimated £40- 50 million (US$80-100 million). SSTL will remain a separate operating entity with access to the greater resources of Astrium. Orbital Sciences Corporation On April 17, Orbital Sciences Corporation announced plans to Sells Non-Core Business Unit sell a non-core business unit, its transportation management systems division, to Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) for $42.5 million. New Mexico County Approves On April 22, the voters of Sierra County in southern New Sales Tax to Help Fund Mexico overwhelmingly approved a sales tax increase that will Spaceport America help fund the development of the state’s commercial spaceport, Spaceport America. The approval of the tax allows the state to create a “tax district” that includes neighboring Doña Ana County, which approved a similar tax in 2007. Revenues from this tax district will be directed toward spaceport development. Land Launch Successfully On April 28, the Land Launch commercial venture carried out Stages First Mission its maiden launch successfully. A Zenit-3SLB vehicle used by the company lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, placing the Israeli communications satellite Amos- 3 into a geosynchronous (GEO) transfer orbit. The launch was the first mission for Land Launch, a joint venture between the Sea Launch Company and the Russian firm Space International Services. The firm’s Zenit 3SL-B vehicle is a modified version of Sea Launch’s Zenit-3SL designed to serve the market for smaller GEO satellites. Canadian Government Blocks On May 9, the Canadian government announced it would Sale of MDA Space Division uphold an earlier decision to block the purchase of the space unit of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) by the U.S. company Alliant TechSystems (ATK). Canadian regulators said the sale would not provide a “net benefit” to Canada. Both ATK and MDA had sought the transaction in order to better address the North American market, but some in Canada objected to the proposed $1.3-billion deal due to concerns about control of Canada's leading space company by a non- Canadian corporation. Cause of Soyuz Ballistic On May 21, a Russian review panel concluded that the ballistic Reentry Identified reentry of a crewed Soyuz spacecraft on April 19 was caused when the spacecraft’s equipment module failed to separate cleanly prior to reentry. The ballistic reentry, during which the Soyuz spacecraft experienced an uncontrollable, steeper-than- intended trajectory on its return to Earth, caused the three-per- son crew to experience gravity forces (g-forces) in excess of 8 Gs. It was the second consecutive Soyuz reentry to experience an unintended ballistic trajectory. Russian authorities are work- ing to prevent a recurrence of the problem on the next crewed Soyuz flight, scheduled for later in 2008. Third Quarter 2008 Quarterly Launch Report 3 Second Quarter 2008 Highlights Boeing Satellite Division On May 21, The Boeing Company announced it would lay off Announces Layoffs 750 workers at two satellite manufacturing facilities in southern California because of a downturn in business. Employees at the facilities in El Segundo and Seal Beach were to receive 60-day layoff notices, although the company said that it would try to transfer as many affected workers as possible to other company facilities. Boeing officials blamed the layoffs on decreased demand for large satellites by commercial customers as well as the stretching out of government contract awards. The announcement came one week after Boeing lost a lucrative contract for the next generation of GPS satellites to Lockheed Martin. NASA Phoenix Lander NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down on Touches Down on Mars the northern plains of the Red Planet on May 25. Signals from the spacecraft, relayed through the Mars Odyssey spacecraft orbiting overhead, confirmed that the spacecraft was in good condition and had landed in a region of flat terrain with few rocks. The Phoenix Lander continues to operate successfully, carrying out various scientific missions. The mission has a design life of about 92 days. Krunichev Acquires In May, Krunichev State Research and Production Space Majority Share in ILS Center, the Russian venture that manufactures the Proton launch vehicle, acquired a majority interest in the commercial launch company International Launch Services (ILS). Officials said there will be no change in ILS operations, and that the company, based in the Washington, DC area, will continue to sell the Proton to commercial customers worldwide. Space Shuttle Attaches On May 31, Shuttle Discovery mission STS 124 launched from Japanese Lab Module to ISS Cape Canaveral. On June 3, the crew successfully attached the advanced Japanese laboratory module known as Kibo to the International Space Station (ISS) at the conclusion of the first spacewalk of the mission. Astronauts Mike Fossum and Ron Garan spent six hours and 48 minutes outside the ISS to install the Kibo module. Google Co-Founder Makes In June, Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Internet search giant Deposit To Visit ISS, As Google, put down a $5-million deposit on a future flight to the Space Adventures Announces ISS through the space tourism company Space Adventures. Brin became the first member of Space Adventures’ new Dedicated Tourism Flight Orbital Mission Explorers Circle, a group with preferential access to future commercial flights to the ISS. Brin has not committed to a specific date for his flight. Also in June, Space Adventures announced an agreement with the Russian space agency Roscosmos for the first dedicated commercial Soyuz flight to the station, planned for the second half of 2011; the flight will have two seats available for commercial passengers. Space Adventures has flown five people on regular Soyuz taxi flights to the station, with a sixth, Richard Garriott, scheduled to fly in October. Third Quarter 2008 Quarterly Launch Report 4 Vehicle Use (March 2008 – December 2008) Figure 1: Second Quarter 2008 Figure 2: Third Quarter 2008 Figure 3: Fourth Quarter 2008 Total Launch Vehicle Total Projected Total Projected Use Launch Vehicle Use Launch Vehicle Use USA (26%) USA (30%) USA (40%) Atlas V 1 Delta II 2 Atlas V 3 Delta II 2 Falcon 1 2 Delta II 3 Delta IV 2 Pegasus 1 Delta IV 1 Atlas V 1 Shuttle 1 Minotaur 2 EUROPE (9%) Shuttle 2 CHINA (16%) Ariane 5 2 Pegasus 1 Long March 3 INDIA (13%) CHINA (13%) EUROPE (11%) GSLV 1 Long March 4 Ariane 5 2 PSLV 2 EUROPE (7%) INDIA (5%) JAPAN (4%) Ariane 5 2 PSLV 1 H 2A 1 MULTI (3%) MULTI (11%) MULTI (13%) Zenit 3SLB Zenit 3SL 1 Zenit 3SL 1 2 Zenit 3SLB 1 RUSSIA (37%) Zenit 3SLB 1 Dnepr RUSSIA (30%) 2 RUSSIA (32%) Dnepr 1 Proton 4 Proton 1 Proton 3 Soyuz 2 Soyuz 3 Rockot 1 Soyuz 2 1 Rockot 1 Soyuz 1 Zenit 2 1 Kosmos 1 Kosmos 1 Rockot 1 012345 012345 012345 Total = 19 Total = 23 Total = 30 Figures 1-3 show the total number of orbital and commercial suborbital launches of each launch vehicle and the resulting market share that occurred in the second quarter of 2008. They also project this information for the third quarter of 2008 and fourth quarter of 2008. The launches are grouped by the country in which the primary vehicle manufacturer is based. Exceptions to this grouping are launch- es performed by Sea Launch, which are designated as multinational. Note: Percentages for these and subsequent figures may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding of individual values.