(Space News, Washington, 11 March 2014) Commercial launch services provider International Launch Services (ILS) expects to conduct 4 or 5 commercial campaigns this year, compared with 7 in 2013, as demand for Russian government launches, not handled by ILS, consumes most of the rocket’s 10-launch manifest this year. In what they called a potentially major boost to ILS’s competitiveness, ILS said the Russian government has created an export credit agency whose mandate is to be much more active than its predecessor organization in giving financial assistance to Russian exports. The Export Insurance Agency of Russia (EXIAR), whose operating terms are being vetted by Western banks, will not provide direct loans as the U.S. Export-Import Bank does, but rather provide government guarantees for loans provided by commercial banks — in this case, denominated in dollars, euros or rubles. The French export-credit agency, Coface, operates in a similar manner.
