Competition on the rise Competition will increase soon with new entries such as the Delta 3 and 4, the Atlas 3 and 5, the Japanese H-2A and the enhanced versions of the Ariane 5 system. ILS is the largest and oldest of the international joint launch ventures. Thanks to a partnership that links the American firm Lockheed Martin, and the Russian Krunichev State Research and Production Space Center, and Rocket Space Corporation Energia of Korolev, ILS is able to market the Proton rockets and the Lockheed Martin-built Atlas series of launch vehicles. In 2000, we'll have 16 launches. It may be the most active year for any commercial launch vehicle company in history.
Some analysts believe the price war has already started due to the competition.
But others disagree. Only 15 geostationary transfer orbit launch contracts were in competition internationally, compared to 25 in 1998. Arianespace walked away with 80 percent of those contracts. Yet Berterottiere defends the higher price policy of Arianespace. As new geostationary-capable rockets are introduced on the market with delays due to technical difficulties, such as the Delta 3 and 4, the Atlas 3 and 5, the competitive leadership of existing launch vehicles like the European Ariane is reinforced.