Partners

Open space is a complicated focal point of human activities, and combining efforts and S&T potentials is a most efficient way to tackle the challenging goals of colonizing this part of the Universe.The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center was founded on the basis of the Khrunichev Machine Building Plant and the Salyut Design Bureau by Presidential Decree on June 7, 1993. The goal was to make the production business and foreign economic relations of major space industry companies more efficient and to more actively promote Russian technologies in the international market.

Today, the Khrunichev Space Center is a premier player of both Russia’s and the international space market in the field of development and introduction into practice of new space technology solutions.Lockheed Khrunichev Energia (LKE), a joint Russia–U.S. venture established by the Khrunichev Space Center and the Energia Space Rocket Corporation on Russia’s side and Lockheed Corp. on the U.S. side, was incorporated in April 1993. It was this joint venture that offered the Proton launch vehicle in the international market. As Lockheed and Martin Marietta merged in 1994, it was quite logical that LKE continued its business as a new joint venture founded in June 1995 and named International Launch Services Inc. (ILS).