Posted: Fri, May 30, 2008, 6:02 AM ET (1002 GMT)
The manufacturer of the Proton launch vehicle has acquired a majority interest in the company that markets the vehicle to commercial customers. Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center acquired the majority stake in International Launch Services (ILS) from Space Transport Inc. on Thursday; terms of the deal were not disclosed. Space Transport had acquired its interest in ILS from Lockheed Martin in 2006 when Lockheed exited the joint venture that created ILS in the mid-1990s to market both Atlas and Proton vehicles commercially. ILS executives 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.

Related Links:

•  Washington Post article
•  ILS press release