Ken Heinly, Vice President, Boeing Launch Services

Boeing, which has had a limited role in the commercial launch market for several years, could be set to make more of an impact in this area, according to Ken Heinly, vice president, Boeing Launch Services. Heinly talks about why the dynamics now are favorable for the company and why he thinks Boeing Launch Services could be a compelling choice for customers even if the vehicle is more expensive then other launch options.

Via Satellite: What are the major challenges for Boeing over the next 12 months?

Heinly: I think the major challenge for Boeing over the next year, as we market the Delta rocket, is to let everyone know that we are back in the commercial business. We had a commercial launch this year for Thales Alenia Space, the Cosmo-SkyMed 1 [on the Delta 2 vehicle], but prior to that we had not had a commercial launch for about five years. This was primarily due to the downturn in the market and us not viewing our rockets as necessarily competitive. … I anticipate that once the [United Launch Alliance joint venture] has fully consolidated their activities that efficiencies will result allowing the Delta rockets to be more competitive.

Via Satellite: Why are the dynamics now in your favor to return to the commercial market?

Heinly: At the end of last year we had people enquire to Boeing about the availability of launch services. I think this comes down to the fact that perhaps some of the other launchers were perhaps having problems, some of the customers were perhaps unable to get permission to launch their satellite on Russian-based rockets. For a number of reasons, people had come to us. As a result, we have put under contract Cosmo-SkyMed 1 and 2, the WorldView-1 for DigitalGlobe, and GeoEye. I think there are continued opportunities with all those operators as well as other customers.

Via Satellite: What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months in the commercial market?

Heinly: I would certainly want the Delta 2 prospects for launches to stay constant or get better. Right now we are planning to launch three commercially this year and two next year. I would like to see us at the two-to-three level for the rest of the decade. What we do after that will be somewhat dependent on where the market goes and other factors such as the U.S. Air Force and NASA’s interest in Delta 2.

For the Delta 4 we have been in communications with customers. We do not have any new commercial launches signed up. We are talking to people about Delta 4. We recognize our ability to offer presently launch slots which will probably not be available until 2010 and that it will take a while for this specialized market to get going.