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(EMAILWIRE.COM, February 13, 2009 ) LUXEMBOURG and DENVER – SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced that it has signed a contract with Space Systems/Loral for the procurement of QuetzSat-1, a high-power communications satellite with coverage of Mexico, North America and Central America. QuetzSat-1, procured by SES Satellite Leasing Limited in the Isle of Man, is the fourth satellite project for the two companies. QuetzSat-1 is fully contracted to a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) and will be used in part by Dish Mexico, an EchoStar joint venture, venture, for DTH services in Mexico. It is further expected that EchoStar and its Satellite Services division will provide capacity on QuetzSat-1 to a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) for use in connection with its U.S. DTH business.
QuetzSat-1, which is scheduled for launch in 2011, is a high powered Ku-band satellite designed to provide service for 15 years or more, and is based on the flight-proven SS/L 1300 satellite platform which provides flexibility for a broad range of applications.
The satellite will be located at 77 degrees West. Rights to use this orbital position for direct broadcast services (DBS) were granted in 2005 by the Mexican government to QuetzSat S. de R.L. de C.V., a Mexican-controlled company comprised of SES and Mexican investors.
“We selected Space Systems/Loral for this project because of the company’s extensive experience in meeting the requirements for high power and reliability,” said Martin Halliwell, President of SES ENGINEERING, the procurement and operations division of SES. “This initiative brings together the strengths of SES, Loral and EchoStar in extending the availability of DTH programming around the world.”
“We are pleased to be a part of this collaboration between EchoStar and SES,” said John Celli, president and chief operating officer of Space Systems/Loral. “Our success and continued growth as a company is a result of satisfied customers that continue to look to us for their satellite procurements.”
“The QuetzSat-1 satellite builds on EchoStar’s momentum in delivering end-to-end solutions for satellite services in the U.S. and other parts of the world,” said Dean Olmstead, president of EchoStar Satellite Services. “With a fleet of eight satellites, 10 ground stations and a 160-city fiber optic network, EchoStar has designed a robust delivery service for dedicated or occasional use Ku and Ka-band satellite capacity.”
About SES
SES (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) wholly owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES AMERICOM in North America and SES NEW SKIES which provides global coverage and connectivity. The company also holds 90% of SES SIRIUS in Europe as well as strategic participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 39 satellites in 26 orbital positions around the globe. Additional information on SES is available at:www.ses.com.
About EchoStar Corporation
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) provides equipment sales, digital broadcast operations, and satellite services worldwide. EchoStar has 25 years of experience designing, developing and distributing advanced award-winning set-top boxes and related products for pay television providers. The company includes a network of 10 full-service digital broadcast centers and leased fiber optic capacity with points of presence in approximately 160 U.S. cities. EchoStar also delivers satellite services from eight owned and leased in-orbit satellites and related FCC licenses. Visit www.echostar.com.
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SES ASTRA
Yves .Felte
+352 710 725 311
Yves.Feltes@ses-newskies.com
Source: EmailWire.com
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