ILS Proton rocket picked to launch SIRIUS 4 satellite May 31, 2005 ( taken from SpaceFlightNow )

Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB) announced today that the launch of its SIRIUS 4 satellite will be on a Proton Breeze M booster provided by International Launch Services (ILS). Terms of the contract remain confidential.

NSAB is 75 percent owned by SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company and 25 percentowned by SSC (Swedish Space Corp.). The SIRIUS 4 procurement andlaunch mission are being managed by SES ASTRA on behalf of NSAB.

The contract calls for a launch on board the Proton vehicle fromthe Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in the second quarter of 2007.The high-powered SIRIUS 4 spacecraft, which will feature 52 Ku-bandtransponders, as well as a 2-transponder Ka-band payload, is currentlyunder construction with Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems(LMCSS) for operation at NSAB's orbital position of 5 degrees East.ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) of Bethesda,Md., and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center ofRussia - the builder of the Proton vehicle.

Mark Albrecht, President of ILS, stated: "We are most delighted tohave NSAB join the long list of international satellite operators thathave selected ILS and Proton to provide their launch services. We lookforward to working with the NSAB team, which includes SES ASTRA andLockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, on this program. We are alsopleased to again work with the SES GLOBAL family of companies. WithSIRIUS 4, ILS has launched or has contracts to launch for 15satellites for the SES GLOBAL companies."

Per Norman, General Manager of NSAB, said: "SIRIUS 4's advancedbroadcasting capabilities and extensive reach into the Nordic, Balticand Eastern European markets as well as sub-Saharan Africa willfurther complement the SES satellite fleet covering Europe, the MiddleEast and Africa. Given Proton's impressive track record of successfullaunches for 12 satellites in the SES fleet, we are very comfortableto entrust ILS with this important launch mission."

About SIRIUS 4: Multi-mission European and African coverage

The first mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide replacementcapacity for NSAB's existing SIRIUS 2 and SIRIUS 3 satellites in theNordic and Baltic markets as well as to enhance coverage in EasternEurope and Russia. This mission is supported by 46 active Ku-bandtransponders in the BSS and FSS frequency bands.

As a second mission SIRIUS 4 will provide one wide-beam Ka-bandtransponder for interactive applications in Scandinavia and the BalticStates.

The third mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide a sub-SaharanAfrica beam complementing existing (ASTRA 2B) or upcoming (ASTRA 4A)African coverage within the SES GLOBAL fleet. This mission will besupported by a payload consisting of 6 active Ku-band transponders andan additional Ka-band transponder for inter-connections between Africaand Europe.

Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB-SIRIUS) owns and operates satellites inthe SIRIUS system (SIRIUS 2 and 3). SIRIUS is a leading satellitesystem that offers cost-effective solutions for TV and radiobroadcasts and broadband services in the Nordic and Baltic regions andin Central and Eastern Europe. The satellites are positioned at 5degrees East and offer extremely reliable connections throughoutEurope.

ILS is the global leader in launch services, offering theindustry's two best launch systems: the Proton and the LockheedMartin-built Atlas. With a remarkable launch rate of 73 missions since2000, the Atlas and Proton launch vehicles have consistentlydemonstrated the reliability and flexibility that have made thempreferred choice among satellite operators worldwide. Since thebeginning of 2003, ILS has signed more new commercial contracts thanall of its competitors combined. ILS was formed in 1995, and is basedin McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

The ASTRA Satellite System is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH)satellite system in Europe, delivering services to more than 102million Direct-to-Home and cable households. The ASTRA satellite fleetcurrently comprises 12 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1400analogue and digital television and radio channels as well asmultimedia and Internet services. ASTRA's two prime orbital positionsfor DTH services are 19.2 degrees East and 28.2 degrees East.Professional services such as Direct-to cable (DTC), SatelliteNewsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbitalposition of 23.5 degrees East.

SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and LuxembourgStock Exchange:SESG). SES GLOBAL wholly owns two market-leadingsatellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, and SES AMERICOM in the US.The Company also holds strategic participations in AsiaSat in Asia,Star One and Nahuelsat in Latin America, and NSAB in Europe. AmericomGovernment Services provides network solutions and bandwidth to the USgovernment and its contractors. SES GLOBAL can provide outstandingsatellite communications solutions via a fleet of 38 satellites acrossthe globe. In addition, SES GLOBAL is a shareholder in ORBCOMM, aprovider of wireless data communications services through a low-earthorbit (LEO) satellite network, and in satellite technology company NDSatcom. SES GLOBAL is also a founding shareholder in SATLYNX which hascreated an unrivalled portfolio of reliable and cost-efficient two-waysatellite broadband service solutions to enterprises/corporates, smalloffice/home office (SOHO) users and local communities all over Europe.