1 October 2000

Satcoms

ACeS Starts Commercial Phone Service
Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) and PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) have announced the official launch of service of the Asia Cellular Satellite Network and PSN's Byru Satellite service.

The ACeS network is a dual-mode satellite and GSM network that uses the Garuda-1 satellite to provide uninterrupted service from anywhere in Asia. ACeS service will be introduced in eight Asian countries with negotiations underway in additional countries. In addition, ACeS has signed 47 international roaming agreements with GSM operators in 27 countries worldwide. ACeS will offer digital voice, facsimile, and data transmission services using the light-weight, dual mode mobile Ericsson R-190 satellite phone.

Byru will be the Indonesia brand of the ACeS network. The Byru service will allow the subscribers to communicate with the entire world from a territory bounded by Japan and China in the north, Indonesia in the south, Pakistan and India in the west, and the Philippines and Papua New Guinea in the east. Byru will offer its customer a choice of prepaid and postpaid services for greater convenience.

Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) is the first regional satellite-based, handheld mobile telecommunications system designed exclusively for the Asia Pacific region. ACeS will offer dual mode (satellite - GSM 900) voice, data, Internet services and global roaming capability to subscribers at a competitive cost. ACeS is co-owned by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara of Indonesia , Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications of the USA, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and Jasmine International of Thailand.

Broadband Contracts for International Datacasting
International Datacasting Corporation has announced several new contracts to supply broadband satellite datacasting infrastructure and solutions with an aggregate value exceeding Cdn$ 1.1 million.

The new contracts booked include the following:

• An order from China Unicom, a telecommunications company in China, for SuperFlex equipment to establish an internet-via-satellite network in China.
• An order from IDC's Japanese distributor, AT Communications, for SuperFlex satellite uplink equipment to establish a DVB datacasting service in Japan.
• A follow-on order from Cyberstar, a Loral company, for SuperFlex SR2001B satellite receivers for expansion of their broadband multimedia data services infrastructure.
• An order from SED for digital audio broadcast baseband subsystems to expand WorldSpace's uplink facilities in Singapore and establish a new uplink in China. These subsystems will be integrated by SED as part of Transparent Feeder Link Stations (TFLS) under SED's contract with WorldSpace. The TFLS' are used as an uplink hub by WorldSpace customers to broadcast audio content over the WorldSpace satellite network.

France Telecom Orders Stellat Satellite
France Telecom has awarded Alcatel Space a contract to build a large multimedia satellite at a cost of 250 million Euros investment.

The spacecraft will carry 35 Ku band transponders and 10 C band transponders on an Alcatel 3000B3 bus, and will provide broadband Internet services. It will be operated by Stellat, a new joint venture between France Telecom (70%) and Europe*Star (30%). The satellite would be launched by an Ariane rocket in the second quarter of 2002 to 5° W.

Globalstar Introduces Service in Iceland and North Atlantic
Globalstar Atlantic, the exclusive provider of Globalstar service in the North Atlantic region, is offering service that provides North Atlantic coverage for ocean going ships and general aviation. Services have also been launched in Iceland.

Potential customers include fishing vessels, cargo and passenger ships, mining operations, oil exploration workers, adventure travellers, and search and rescue teams.

Globalstar Atlantic is initially providing basic telephone services including voice, voice mail and short messaging service (SMS), and will offer fax and data service later in 2001. A unique feature in the initial offering is an SMS based information service allowing a variety of items such as: checking of news, weather, travel plans, and directory browsing. Future offerings will include information targeted at maritime and general aviation needs. Service will be delivered through the Globalstar gateways in Aussaguel, France and Smith Falls, Canada.

Insight Telecom to Sell ex-Primestar GE-2 Capacity
InSight Telecommunications has entered into an agreement to sell, schedule and service the Ku band capacity on the GE-2 satellite previously utilised by PrimeStar.

Located at 85° W, the satellite provides coverage of the USA as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. The shift of this capacity from consumer to business use dramatically increases the availability of Ku band, which is especially well-suited for remote and news broadcasts and Internet delivery, in the business-to-business marketplace. InSight will be responsible for the sale, marketing and scheduling of the transmission capacity effective October 2.

InSight Telecommunications Corporation is a telecommunications transmission services company that specialises in broadcast and Internet broadband streaming solutions. It provides content delivery services and transmission capacity, as well as project management and packaging, in a business-to-business environment for customers needing to move programming content around the world. In conjunction with Telesat Canada, InSight operates Telesat Communications Services, which provides additional C and Ku band capacity to satellite users worldwide.

Orblynx Using 100 Network Engine Servers For Caching
Orblynx Inc is using more than 100 Network Engines' Internet servers and Orblynx's satellite technology to deliver "popular Web content" to under-served markets around the world.

Orblynx is counting on WebEngine Blazer's processing power to deliver "content from CNN.com, ESPN.com and other popular sites" to Internet service providers.

Orblynx delivers news, sports and other popular content via its IDS 2000 Internet distribution platform. It has located data warehouses near "Web content publishers as ABC.com and MSNBC.com." Orblynx transmits that content from the warehouses to satellites, which in turn send the content to IDS servers in the edge node (located just on the edge of the ISP's network).

SES to Order Powerful Ka Band Satellites
The Societe Europeenne de Satellites (SES) has issued a request for proposals for 3 or 4 new Ka band satellites.

The winning bidder should be chosen by the end of the year. The new spacecraft will join SES's fleet of 13 satellites to provide two-way Internet transmission services. SES expects the satellites to cost some 1.18 billion Euros and each large satellite to weigh up to 7,000 kg. The first spacecraft will be launched in late 2003 or 2004.

STM Licences Technology to BroadEdge
STM Wireless Inc (STM) has licensed certain technologies to BroadEdge Inc a new satellite-based broadband access provider offering high quality streaming media content.

BroadEdge is backed by Infonet Services Corp (Infonet), a leading provider of global communication services for multinationals. Infonet invested US$ 2.5 million in the new broadband and streaming media Internet venture.

BroadEdge has a proprietary service that enables the delivery of broadcast quality streaming media content at a low level of latency, which allows live interactive events to be made available via the Internet.

Since the company's network bypasses the public Internet and delivers content directly via uncongested links, users experience full screen, full motion, VCR quality video content and full CD quality music.

BroadEdge intends to offer global, satellite-based broadband Iternet services to small businesses, branch offices and consumers.

STM will be a minority shareholder in BroadEdge and Emil Youssefzadeh, the CEO of STM, will be the chairman and a shareholder of BroadEdge. Infonet's Vice President of Business Development, Ken Felderstein, and Director of Broadband Solutions, Jan Stevens, will join BroadEdge's board of directors.

The BroadEdge services are expected to be offered to the more than 30 million US households living outside of metropolitan areas which are not served by cable or ADSL along with populations in Europe, Asia and Latin America. BroadEdge expects its service to be commercially available in the United States and Latin America by Winter 2000 and offered in Europe and Asia by the first half of 2001.

Technology

JPL Awards Ball Aerospace US$ 10.4 Million Star Sensor Contract
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp has been awarded a US$ 10.4 million contract from the California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the design and development of a Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) for the Outer Planets/Solar Probe Project.

The Stellar Reference Unit enables the Attitude Control Subsystem aboard the spacecraft to provide sufficient image data for simultaneous three-axis determination of spacecraft attitude by the Space Flight Computer. The SRU consists of a baffle, optics, a Focal Plane Array (FPA), FPA control electronics (analogue), digital electronics, a power converter, connectors and cables and an interface to communicate with the Spacecraft Flight Computer.

This contract is a follow-on to a study contract that Ball Aerospace began in May 1999 and features Ball Aerospace's unique design approach for a radiation hardened Stellar Reference Unit. Deliverables include one engineering unit, one protoflight unit and four flight units. The SRUs were slated to fly on the Pluto Kuiper Express Mission in 2004 and the Europa Mission in 2007, but the Pluto Kuiper Express has recently been deferred, so two of the flight units are seeking utilisation opportunities elsewhere.

Plan to Rescue X-33 Project
NASA and Lockheed Martin have agreed on a plan to go forward with the troubled X-33 space plane program, to include aluminium fuel tanks for the vehicle's hydrogen fuel, a revised payment schedule and a target launch date in 2003.

The launch date is contingent on Lockheed Martin's ability to compete and win additional funding under the Space Launch Initiative. NASA and Lockheed believe it is critical to continue work to solve the last remaining barrier to low-cost, reliable access to space.

The restructured plan focuses on providing milestone payments to Lockheed Martin's industry team for completed testing and delivery of their hardware and software systems this year. Additionally, the plan includes greater emphasis on mission safety and more ground demonstration of critical technology prior to actual flight. These steps are being taken by NASA to ensure quality and mission success. NASA is intent on ensuring that the lessons learned from other programs are taken into consideration in any go-forward planning.

The project requires no additional funding from NASA through March 2001. The project will need additional funding for completion, and Lockheed Martin can compete for those funds through the Space Launch Initiative.

The sub-orbital X-33 is designed to demonstrate advanced technologies that will dramatically increase launch vehicle reliability and lower the cost of launching payloads to low Earth orbit from US$ 10,000 to US$ 1,000 per pound. The government-industry partnership began in July 1996.

A composite fuel tank structurally failed after a series of tests November 3, 1999, at Marshall. An investigation team found that the unexpected severity of a condition called microcracking was instrumental in the failure of the tank's composite skin, a small portion of which split following the tests.

Work on the X-33 has continued at the Palmdale, California, assembly facility during the tank investigation and subsequent negotiations between NASA and Lockheed Martin. Vehicle assembly is currently 75% complete, and more than 95% of the vehicle's components have been fabricated, tested and delivered to Palmdale. All of the X-33's hardware except the new hydrogen tanks is expected to be completed by the end of 2000. NASA and Lockheed Martin are now proceeding with design of aluminium liquid-hydrogen tanks for the X-33, replacing the experimental composite tanks originally planned.

TRW's Pintle Rocket Engine Passes Initial Tests
TRW Inc has successfully performed the initial static-fire testing of a low-cost booster engine based on its pintle injection technology.

The 650,000-pound thrust Low Cost Pintle Engine (LCPE), one of the largest liquid rocket engines built since Saturn F-1 engines powered Apollo program flights in the 1970s, was designed as a simple, easy-to-manufacture, low-cost engine. The LCPE has parts made from common steel alloys using standard industrial fabrication techniques, employs ablative cooling techniques instead of more expensive regenerative cooling, and features the least complex type of rocket propellant injector - a single element coaxial pintle injector.

The LCPE was subjected this summer to hot fire testing at 100% of its rated thrust as well as at a 65% throttle condition at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. TRW changed the pintle injector configuration three times during testing to explore the engine's performance envelope; engineers also replaced the ablative chamber once while the engine was on the test stand - demonstrating the LCPE's ease of operation.

Engine testing is planned to continue throughout the year under a co-operative agreement between TRW and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

The key element of the LCPE's design is its single element coaxial pintle injector, used to introduce propellants into the combustion chamber. TRW has used this design in nearly all of its bipropellant liquid rocket engines. This includes the Lunar Module Descent Engine (LMDE) which safely landed 12 astronauts on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972 and was critical in the rescue of Apollo 13.

Other notable features of the LCPE are:

• Scalability. The LCPE is scalable over a range of thrust levels and propellant combinations. It can be readily adapted to a wide range of launch vehicles, from the Bantam Lifter class (about 91 kg to low-Earth orbit) to Heavy Weight Lifter class (about 91,000 kg to low-Earth orbit). The LCPE can power the first stage of an EELV-class, multistage launch vehicle, and scaled down versions can easily be used for the vehicle's second stage.
• Combustion Stability. The LCPE is inherently stable over a wide range of
  operating conditions due to the unique injection and combustion flow fields
  created by the pintle injector.
• Size. Incorporates the second largest rocket combustion chamber ever built,
  with an outside diameter of 173 cm.
• Simplicity. A complete pintle injector contains only five parts (excluding
  seals and attachment nuts, bolts and washers).
• Throttling Ability. LCPE has already demonstrated its ability to operate at
  a 65% throttle condition. Moveable pintle injector attributes include deep
  throttle capability, such as the LMDE 10:1 throttling engine.

TRW has tested more than 50 different pintle injector engines, using more than 25 different propellant combinations with complete combustion stability and no need for acoustic cavities or baffles.

Previously, pintle injector engines were successfully tested with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen at thrust levels of 16,000 and 40,000 pounds. TRW has flown more than 140 engines ranging in size from the 100-pound thrust liquid apogee engine used on NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to the 10,000-pound thrust Delta and LMDE engines.

Xenon Thrusters Fail on Galaxy VIII-i
PanAmSat's Galaxy VIII-i satellite has recently experienced difficulties with its primary propulsion system that are expected to shorten its projected operational life.

The company's ongoing satellite deployment plan, however, is expected to assure continuous service for the Galaxy VIII-i customer because Galaxy IIIC is already under construction and scheduled for launch next year, a full year before the projected end of operational life for Galaxy VIII-i.

In addition, PanAmSat has reached an agreement in principle with Galaxy Latin America (GLA), the Galaxy VIII-i customer, to build the Galaxy VIII-iR replacement satellite to assure against a Galaxy IIIC launch failure and provide for a more robust in-orbit back-up configuration. This agreement is subject to approval by the boards of directors of PanAmSat and GLA.

Galaxy VIII-i recently experienced difficulties with its xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS), an electric propulsion system that is used to maintain the spacecraft's proper orbit and attitude. The satellite is operating normally on its backup chemical propulsion system. PanAmSat and the manufacturer are continuing to investigate the causes of the difficulty and possible solutions. Without the use of XIPS, the spacecraft is expected to reach its end-of-life in late 2002.

Galaxy IIIC is under construction and expected to be launched into the same orbital location as Galaxy VIII-i during the second quarter of 2001. At that time, GLA will transition to Galaxy IIIC as its primary transmission platform, which will not require re-pointing of any consumer dishes. Galaxy VIII-i will continue to be used for some additional services.

PanAmSat operates five other HS 601 HP spacecraft that contain XIPS and one HS 702 spacecraft that uses the XIPS propulsion system. By mid-2001, PanAmSat plans to launch one additional HS 601 HP spacecraft, and two HS 702 spacecraft, all of which use a XIPS propulsion system. The HS 702s use a different XIPS system. Based on the information furnished to PanAmSat by Hughes Space & Communications Company, the manufacturer of the XIPS- equipped satellite, and PanAmSat's experience with XIPS, PanAmSat believes that this difficulty on Galaxy VIII-i is an incident that will not affect the performance of XIPS on those other spacecraft.

PanAmSat expects that the reduced in-orbit life of Galaxy VIII-I will not have a material impact on the company's projected revenues through 2002. PanAmSat intends to accelerate depreciation of the spacecraft to reflect its revised operational life, resulting in an increase in its projected depreciation expense beginning in the fourth quarter of 2000 of approximately US$ 15 million per quarter, which may not be offset by insurance proceeds. It is anticipated that the reduced life will result in a reduction of backlog in the ten-year period after 2002 of approximately US$ 350 million, which would be more than offset by the potential addition to backlog from the Galaxy VIII-iR satellite. If the replacement satellite is launched to serve GLA's additional capacity needs, the resulting backlog would more than offset the loss of backlog on Galaxy VIII-i.

Until the successful launch and in service placement of Galaxy IIIC, GLA also has backup rights to pre-emptible transponders on Galaxy IIIR. However, given the capacity that continues to be available on Galaxy VIII-i, the new capacity on the Galaxy IIIC satellite to be made available in 2001, and the agreement in principle to provide capacity on the additional replacement satellite, PanAmSat considers it highly unlikely that this situation will occur.

Galaxy VIII-i, an HS 601 HP satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications, was launched in December 1997 and provides Ku band coverage of Latin America. Galaxy IIIC is a Hughes-built HS 702 spacecraft that will provide C band and Ku band coverage of the Americas upon its launch during the second quarter of 2001.

Launch Services

First H-2A Launch to Carry Dummy Satellite
Japan's troubled H-2A launcher will not carry the planned payload, but will loft a 2 tonne dummy satellite instead.

Problems hit the long delayed launcher during a recent static firing test when a faulty seal in the liquid hydrogen turbo pump in the first stage LE7A engine briefly leaked liquid hydrogen. Redesigning the pump is expected to take a year.

H-2A was to have carried the European Space Agency's Advanced Relay and Technology Mission Satellite (Artemis). ESA will now find an alternative launcher for its spacecraft. The launch on H-2A was to have been free in exchange for the use of transmission capacity on Artemis.

The second launch of the H-2A will now probably take place in the spring of 2002.

Launches

Cosmos 2372

Launched: 25 September 2000
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Zenit 2
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 354.2 km, perigee: 206.5 km: inclination: 65.0°
International Number: 2000-056A
Name: Cosmos 2372 (also known as Yenisey

Believe to be a fifth generation Near-Real-Time digital imaging satellite. It may replace an Orlets 2 reconnaissance spacecraft, previously launched in 1994.

Megsat 1, Saudisat 1A, Saudisat 1B, Tiungsat-1, Unisat

Launched: 26 September 2000
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Dnepr 1
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 650 km, perigee: 650 km: inclination: 65°
International Number: 2000-057A to E

Name: Megsat 1
Owner: Megsat

Name: Saudisat 1A
Owner: Saudi Institute for Space Research

Name: Saudisat 1B
Owner: Saudi Institute for Space Research

Name: Tiungsat-1
Owner: Astronautic Technology
Contractor: Surrey Satellite Technology

Name: Unisat
Owner: University of Rome La Sapienza

Four of the spacecraft are remote sensing satellites. The fifth, MegSat 1, is a store and forward messaging communications satellite.

• Megsat 1 (56 kg), Italy
• Saudisat 1A and 1B (10 kg each), Saudi Arabia
• Tiungsat-1 (52 kg), Malaysia
• Unisat (10 kg), Italy

Launch Schedule

September: Glonass (3 satellites) on a Proton K/Blok DM from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
September: GSAT on a GSLV (Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) from Sriharikota, India
September: QuickBird 1 on a Kosmos SL8 from Plesetsk Space Centre, Russia
October: Badr-2, Meteor-3M, Malaysian Tiungsat-1, Maroc-Tubsat, Reflector on a Zenit-2 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
October: Europe*Star 1 on an Ariane 4 from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
October: Sirius 3 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
October: Thuraya 1A on a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL from the Odyssey launch platform in the Pacific Ocean
October 1: GE-1 on a Proton from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
October 5: ICO on a Boeing Delta III
October 6: ISS 3A (Z-1 truss) on the Shuttle Discovery (STS-92) from the Kennedy Space Center, California
October 6: High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-2) on a Pegasus XL from Kwajalein Missile Range, Pacific Ocean
October 6: N-SAT 110 on an Ariane 42L from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
October 12: DSCS B11 on an Atlas 2A from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
October 17: EO1, SAC-C, Citizen Explorer and Munin on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
October 30: Progress M2 supply ship to the ISS on a Soyuz U from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
October 31: PAS-1R, Amsat P3D, STRV 1C and STRV 1D on an Ariane 5 from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
November 10: Anik F1 on an Ariane from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
November 30: Eurasiasat 1 and L-Star 1 on an Ariane 5 from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
November 30: ISS 4A (PV module P6) on the Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97) from the Kennedy Space Center, California
December: Astra 2D on an Ariane from CSG Kourou, French Guiana
December 10: DMSP on a Titan II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
December 21: Aqua on a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Delayed: Altair on a Proton from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Delayed: Ekran on a Proton from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Delayed: EROS on a Start-1 from Plesetsk Space Centre, Russia
Delayed: MLV-11 on an Atlas 2AS from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Delayed: Tempo 1 on an Atlas
Delayed: VCL on an Athena 1 from Kodiak Island, Alaska

Business

EchoStar Completes Notes Offering
EchoStar Broadband Corporation has increased its previously announced offering of Senior Notes due 2007 from US$ 600 million to US$ 1 billion. The offering closed Sept 25, 2000.

The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 10 3/8% and will mature on Oct 1, 2007. The net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used to fund capital expenditures in connection with the construction, launch, and insurance of additional satellites or for other general corporate purposes (including potential strategic acquisitions).

Eutelsat Arranges Euro 550 Million Revolving Credit Facility
Eutelsat has successfully completed the recently launched Euro 550 million multicurrency revolving credit facility arranged and underwritten by Barclays Capital, Natexis Banques Populaires and WestLB.

The facility, which marks Eutelsat's debut in the syndicated loan market, has extended the borrower's core relationship bank group from its francophone base to a pan-European group to support its future growth. Despite the highly select syndication strategy pursued by Eutelsat and its arrangers, the facility attracted strong support from lenders and was oversubscribed at the initial senior co-arranger phase without the need for a general syndication phase.

The transaction, which is for general corporate purposes, has been established in anticipation of Eutelsat's change of status on July 2 2001 into a private company from an international organisation and its likely IPO within two years after that. The five-year revolving credit has an initial margin of 22.5 bp above Euribor with a 11.25 bp commitment fee. In addition, there is a two-step utilisation fee structure of up to 5 bp taking the fully drawn pricing to 27.5 bp over Euribor. The facility includes a range of instruments to give Eutelsat flexibility in its financing policy.

In addition to the three arrangers Barclays Capital, Natexis Banques Populaires and WestLB (Paris) other members of the 13-strong syndicate that is comprised exclusively of European banks are: Caja Madrid, Banca Opi-San Paolo Imi Group, Fortis Bank, Crédit Agricole Ile de France, Crédit Commercial de France, Crédit Lyonnais, GZ-Bank AG, KfW Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau, Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg and Société Générale - all joined as senior co-arrangers.

Flash Networks and Expand Networks Team to Improve Infrastructure Performance
Flash Networks Inc has announced a strategic agreement with Expand Networks.

Expand's Enterprise Caching technology, in combination with Flash Networks' NettGain family of products, is to improve the performance of network infrastructures for wireless and satellite applications.

Expand and Flash Networks will co-operate on joint sales and marketing efforts to deliver a more comprehensive network solution to bandwidth-constrained enterprises.

Globalstar Canada Awarded National Master Standing Offer
Globalstar Canada has been awarded a National Master Standing Offer (NMSO) by Public Works and Government Services Canada. As of September 27, various Canadian Government departments and agencies can purchase Globalstar mobile satellite handsets for the support of government satellite and telecommunications services.

With the Globalstar Canada National Master Standing Offer in place, the government departments and agencies that need the Globalstar satellite service can now deal directly with Globalstar Canada authorised dealers. The NMSO is a convenient method of supply that saves the Canadian government time and money. Purchase orders will now have a faster processing time because the paper work is reduced and prices and terms have been settled in advance, avoiding further negotiation. From the taxpayers' point of view, the advantages are lower administrative costs and less need for government departments to carry inventory.

Globalstar's Partners Invest More
Five of Globalstar's founding partners will provide the company with a further US$ 56 million in equity financing.

Under the terms of their subscription agreements, Loral Space & Communications, Vodafone, Qualcomm Incorporated, Elsacom and TE.SA.M will purchase 5.2 million shares of common stock of Globalstar Telecommunications Limited (GTL) for US$ 56 million. Loral will purchase US$ 12 million of this total. In addition, a sixth partner, ChinaSat, has indicated an intent to purchase a further US$ 12 million of shares upon receipt of government approval.

The share purchases are based on a price of US$ 10.7125 per share, the average of the high and low prices of GTL stock for the ten trading days ending September 21, 2000. The transaction is expected to close by September 29, 2000.

Globalstar will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes including capital expenditures, operations (including marketing and distribution of phones and services) and interest expense.

Infonet Invests in BroadEdge Venture
Infonet Services Corporation has become the first outside investor in BroadEdge, a new satellite-based broadband access provider offering high quality streaming media content.

Infonet invested US$ 2.5 million in the new company and will offer the broadband and streaming media services to its multinational customers while also supporting two-way communications via its Internet Protocol (IP) terrestrial data network.

BroadEdge has developed a proprietary and innovative service that enables satellite delivery of broadcast quality streaming media at a low level of latency allowing live interactive events to be made available via the Internet. Since BroadEdge's network bypasses the public Internet and delivers content directly via uncongested satellite links, users experience full screen, full motion VCR quality video content and full CD quality music.

Orbital Sells Fairchild Defense Subsidiary
Orbital Sciences Corporation has signed a definitive agreement with Smiths Industries plc to sell Orbital's Fairchild Defense electronics business to a US subsidiary of Smiths for US$ 100 million in cash.

The transaction, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, is expected to close in late October, subject to US government regulatory reviews.

Orbital anticipates using net proceeds from the divestiture to reduce bank debt and increase overall liquidity.

Orbital acquired the Fairchild Defense unit in 1994 as part of its purchase of Fairchild Space and Defense Corporation. Orbital subsequently merged the Fairchild Space business with its own satellite design and manufacturing division and operated Fairchild Defense as part of the company's Electronics and Sensor Systems Group. With revenues of US$ 76 million in 1999, Fairchild Defense currently employs about 420 people, all of whom are expected to remain with the business unit after its sale to Smiths.

Products and Services

Cidera Introduces NetDirect Service
Cidera Inc, an international leader in the satellite delivery of broadband content to the edge of the Internet, has launched the Cidera NetDirect Service, designed to meet the growing need for bandwidth where terrestrial infrastructure is scarce and expensive.

Cidera NetDirect enables ISPs around the world to provide their users with on-demand Web content delivered directly to the ISP via Cidera's satellite broadcast network.

Using asymmetrical caching technology and managed bandwidth allocation, Cidera NetDirect enables ISPs to significantly speed the delivery and reduce the cost of transporting Web content to remote locations around the world. Using a satellite downlink placed at an ISP's location, NetDirect augments bandwidth-constrained terrestrial networks, and provides data on- demand to an ISP's users.

NetDirect was designed for ISPs that are using a cache appliance and have minimal terrestrial connectivity to the Internet. By supplying a minimum of 256 kb/s of satellite bandwidth, Cidera allows ISPs to maximise their existing bandwidth resources.

Initial NetDirect customers include Albania Online, an Eastern European ISP, and Network IDL, a Caribbean ISP serving the Dutch Antilles. Both customers have significantly reduced the costs associated with receiving Web content over their terrestrial connections.

Cyberstar's Clearstream Forum Delivers Enhanced Video Broadcasting And Video-On-Demand To Businesses
Loral Cyberstar has introduced ClearStream Forum, a new Internet-protocol (IP) broadband service offering enterprises a simple and cost-effective video-to-the-desktop solutions for eLearning and corporate communication applications.

ClearStream Forum lets organisations move to a PC-based model of training and corporate communications for use both in conference rooms and at individual desktops.

By making live, scheduled, and on-demand IP video broadcasts available to employees directly at their desktops through conventional Internet browsers, ClearStream Forum is a flexible solution designed to increase employee participation rates in video programs and educational activities. The PC interface further enhances the user experience by incorporating features such as video windows, presentation slides, email capabilities, and onscreen commands that all run simultaneously.

Employees can view programs at their desks at times convenient to them, and if an employee misses a live or scheduled session, that session can be recalled later. Using ClearStream Forum, TV-quality video and audio programming is delivered directly from the source of the programming into local area networks at remote sites and then distributed to individual desktops. Distribution of programming can also be easily targeted to specific employee groups or to selected external locations such as distribution channels.

SCC Launches Japanese Streaming Media Service
Space Communications Corporation (SCC) is to use InfoLibria products to offer a new satellite content distribution
service to improve the performance of Web networks.

The new service, called HitPops, will allow Internet service providers, content providers, and enterprises to deliver streaming media over SCC's satellite network to cable head-ends equipped with InfoLibria's content distribution and streaming media systems.

The HitPops service will be available in Japan later this year.

TeleCrossing Introduces Two-way Residential Internet Service is US
Alphastar International has launched its TeleCrossing two-way satellite broadband network for residential Internet users in the USA using capacity on GE-5.

The TeleCrossing network has been deployed in seven markets in the northeast of the USA including New York City and will expand into other regions.

GE-5 footprint covers the continental USA and TeleCrossing is planning to deploy the service nationally in 200 markets within the year. Currently, TeleCrossing is targeting residential broadband users including single-family homes, MDUs, MTUs, and the hospitality industry.

High-speed access is delivered in increments or fractions of 2 Mb/s, symmetrical or asymmetrical downloading and uploading, dedicated or shared access with available speed up to 44 Mb/s on demand. TeleCrossing is a hybrid broadband network integrating satellite with a matrix of fixed wireless local hubs, which are co-located on wireless towers and rooftops. The bi-directional local wireless hubs are connected by satellite, eliminating the need for users to have a satellite dish.

People

Astrolink Appoints Chuck Liggett as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Astrolink International LLC has announced that Chuck Liggett will join its senior management team as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Liggett will manage Astrolink's core marketing functions as well as play a key role in defining the strategic business plan as Astrolink prepares for service launch.