[SatNews] International Launch Services (ILS) announces the appointment of Kirk Pysher as president. Mr. Pysher will take over leadership from Phil Slack, who served as president of ILS since 2012. Khrunichev State Research and Space Production Center (Khrunichev), the majority owner of ILS, has provided its full endorsement of Mr. Pysher as the new head of ILS.

Kirk Pysher, ILS President

Pysher previously served as ILS vice president of mission assurance and product development. In this role, Pysher primarily had the responsibility for development and implementation of ILS and customer specific mission assurance requirements. In addition to his critical mission assurance role, Pysher also had responsibility for ILS product development including performance upgrades and new capabilities intended to align with customers’ future requirements, including the preliminary steps to introduce the Angara launch vehicle to the commercial market.  His career in commercial launch development, design and operation spans nearly 30 years. 

Slack said, “I have appreciated working with all of our customers over the years, and with Kirk for the past two, and know that ILS is in very capable hands. I am very grateful for the support of all of my industry colleagues and look forward to the next chapter.”

Pysher stated that “Commercial launch is a small, highly competitive industry with limited players.  For that reason, it’s critical our business remain healthy and sustainable for the long term ensuring our customers with reliable and readily available access to space. I look forward to continuing Phil’s work towards building customer trust and confidence in the dedicated and talented teams at ILS and Khrunichev as well as the Proton and Angara launch vehicles.” 

Pysher was appointed to the ILS Board of Directors last month. The Board includes senior level representatives from both ILS and Khrunichev.