SPACE NEWS

摘要

We think it's primarily a cyclical phenomenon. If you look back, in the late 1990s, early 2000s, Proton was just one of many competitors out there. Proton was launching three to four per year in the early 2000s, and then more in the late 2000s, due to limited competition. ILS and Arianespace dominated the heavy-lift market. At that time, Proton was launching seven to eight commercial launches per year. Now, as a result of several factors - including the Proton failure rate and the fact that this year there have been more smaller satellites coming on the market - the projected commercial launch requirements for 2016-2017 are currently in the three to four range for Proton.