1 April 2001

Satcoms

Channel Master and US Monolithics to Supply Integrated Solution for Astrolink Terminal
Channel Master and ViaSat have signed an agreement in which Channel Master has been selected as the Outdoor Unit (ODU) prime contractor for Astrolink's global satellite program. Under the terms of this multi-year contract, Channel Master will develop, manufacture and supply the complete ODU portion of the Astrolink user terminal.

In order to furnish the ODU as a complete integrated solution, Channel Master has sub-contracted US Monolithics, a leading Ka band transceiver technology company, to provide the transceiver for the program.

Last October, Astrolink announced that ViaSat had been selected as one of two developers and manufacturers of broadband, two-way Ka band satellite customer terminals for use with the Astrolink System, a global telecommunications system using next-generation satellite technology. Astrolink is scheduled to begin offering service in 2003.

Channel Master to Supply ODUs for iPSTAR
Channel Master LLC has signed a letter of intent to supply iPSTAR, Shin Satellite's broadband satellite project, with 100,000 complete outdoor terminals.

Under the terms of the agreement, Channel Master will supply a complete Outdoor Unit (ODU). In addition, Channel Master will be responsible for providing additional value-added services including warehousing, testing, packaging and establishing Local Integration Partners whose purpose it is to support local content, training and fulfil distribution requirements.

iPSTAR, with a projected launch date of 2003, will supply affordable, high capacity telecommunications and multimedia services to consumers, businesses and organisations throughout the Asian and Indian subcontinent regions. iPSTAR will enable users access to a host of satellite services including entertainment, video on demand, low cost IP voice telephony and high speed Internet connections as well as two-way high speed Corporate Internet plus Ultra Small Aperture Terminal (USAT) and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to private and public organisations.

EMS Technology Announces Argentina SAR Contract
EMS Technologies Inc's Satcom division has won a contract valued at US$ 2.5 million from the Argentine Navy and Air Force for ground-based equipment to support search-and-rescue operations over the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system.

The United States, Russia, Canada and France jointly operate the Cospas-Sarsat system, which provides distress alert and location data to assist search and rescue operations.

EMS will provide two ATLUT-500 Local User Terminals (LUT), for use with the Low-Earth Orbit satellite system, for the detection and location of distress beacons, and one GEO LUT 600, EMS' next-generation product that enables rescue teams to instantly identify active 406 MHz distress beacon signals relayed through satellites in geostationary orbit. The system also includes an Operations Control Console (OCC) system for use at the Argentine Mission Control Center (MCC), to distribute the distress alert information to Rescue Coordination Centers in Argentina and to other MCCs around the world. All the systems are scheduled to be fully operational by the end of July.

EMS is working with SES Sistemas Electronicos SA of Argentina, who will provide support for the installation and long-term maintenance of the new Cospas-Sarsat systems in Argentina.

iDirect Picks Anik F1 for South American Service
Telesat has signed a 10-year contract with iDirect Inc. The Virginia-based company will use Telesat's new Anik F1 satellite to offer high-speed, two-way broadband Internet access to the growing South American market.

Under the agreement, iDirect will lease two C band transponders (one north to south, and one south to north) on Anik F1.

iDirect's satellite broadband service connects global organisations directly to the US Internet backbone, allowing them to bypass the multiple points of congestion on the public network infrastructure. iDirect's service is designed for customers requiring high-speed, high-availability, end-to-end Internet and intranet access without relying on local infrastructure.

Iridium Returns
Iridium Satellite LLC has commenced the commercial operation of its global satellite communications services.

After more than three months of quality assurance testing, the Iridium gateway in Tempe, Arizona. is fully operational, enabling the delivery of mobile, voice telephony services. The company will launch data services, including dial-up access and direct Internet connectivity, in June 2001. Short burst messaging services are expected to be available later in the year.

To deliver geographic and vertical market coverage, Iridium has signed agreements with 13 service providers to offer worldwide distribution capabilities.

Iridium service providers will be selling data-ready Motorola handsets, which are currently being shipped. Estimated retail costs for the Satellite Series 9500 are less than US$ 1,000 and airtime rates are expected not to exceed more than US$ 1.50 per minute, with no additional long-distance, roaming, or zoning charges. For the next six months, customers will be able to take advantage of special rate plans offered by Iridium's service providers for handset to handset calls that bypass wireline networks. Former Iridium customers that own phones can contact a service provider to upgrade them for data-readiness, quality voice enhancements and immediate voice service. The smaller, lighter Satellite Series 9505 handsets are expected to retail for US$ 1,500, including accessories, and will be available for purchase in August of this year.

Operated and managed by The Boeing Company under contract to Iridium Satellite, the Iridium system consists of a constellation of 66 operational satellites and seven in-orbit spares, ensuring a lifespan of at least seven years. Iridium plans to launch seven additional spares in 2002 to bring the total to 14.

Kingston MediaStream Delivers Game's Programmes Direct to Home
Kingston MediaStream has secured a major 10-year contract with Game Network, the new 24-hour video games channel, to provide uplinking and direct to home (DTH) facilities.

Kingston MediaStream will take a feed from Eutelsat Hotbird 4 at 13° E and then forward it up onto the Astra Satellite 2B at 28.2° E.

Game Network is a free-to-air digital satellite channel and online gaming website, dedicated entirely to video games. The channel, owned by leading Italian interactive entertainment company Digital Bros, features news, reviews, previews and magazine-style programmes, which can be viewed through a dedicated streaming website or on television through a digital receiver.

Launched in Italy, Game Network is now expanding into the UK. It is already available for free in over 44 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has plans to increase its coverage to make the channel accessible worldwide.

Loral Skynet Adds Broadband to Telstar 9
Loral Skynet has revealed plans to add a Ka band payload to its planned Telstar 9 communications satellite to test the market for broadband services. The satellite will also carry C and Ku band transponders.

Loral Skynet will not sell the broadband Ka band capacity directly to users but will market it to other service providers.

Telstar 9 is being built by Space Systems/Loral and will be placed at the 93° W, where it will replace Telstar 6. Previously it was intended to locate Telstar 9 from the orbital slot at 69° W.

New Operator NewSat Buys Palapa B2R
Newly formed satellite operator NewSat-USA LLC is a privately-held company offering international satellite capacity for Internet, voice, data and video services.

NewSat is initially offering capacity on NewSat-1, a Hughes-built C band spacecraft located at 42.5° E. Formerly owned and operated as Palapa B2R, the satellite has a footprint that provides coverage from as far West as London, to as far East as Beijing. From North to South, coverage is available from Moscow to New Delhi.

The new company, based in New Jersey, plans to add to its satellite fleet in the future, and in addition, anticipates the announcement of a major gateway in Europe in the very near future. This gateway will offer access to the spacecraft, as well as international fibre and Internet connectivity. TT&C will continue to be performed by PTT Telekom Indonesia.

The NewSat-1 spacecraft has 24 C band 36 MHz transponders plus spares. All primary systems are also available with redundancies. Battery power is sufficient to run with a full load through the eclipse periods. Its C band
beam centre power is 35 dBW. Current inclination is about 0.6 degrees and its anticipated additional lifetime is 8.5 years with inclined station keeping.

New Skies Orders NSS-8 Satellite From Boeing
New Skies Satellites has signed a contract with Boeing Satellite Systems for a Boeing 702 satellite which, at 105° W, will provide full coverage of the Americas.

The contract specifies in-orbit delivery of an 88-transponder satellite (46 C band, 42 Ku band), designated NSS-8, in the third quarter of 2003 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launcher and includes options for up to two follow-on spacecraft.

NSS-8 will be one of only two satellites simultaneously able to cover the full 50 states of the U.S. and all of Central and South America and the only satellite with a C band beam covering the entire region.

NSS-8 has been optimised for the typical asymmetric nature of Internet traffic, allowing bandwidth to be allocated differentially between inbound and outbound content.

The satellite will have EIRPs of 42 dBW in C-band and more than 50 dBW in Ku-band. Launch mass will be 5,700 kg and the projected operational life is 16 years. Four 25-cm xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) thrusters, built by Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices Inc, will be used for orbit raising and stationkeeping. Advanced triple-junction gallium arsenide solar panels from Spectrolab Inc will deliver 17 kW of total spacecraft power.

New Skies Satellites Granted Full Authority to Serve the U.S. Market
New Skies Satellites has announced that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted the company's request for full authority to serve customers in the US market.

To date, US-based customers were allowed to use New Skies satellites only until August 2002. Removal of this temporary restriction was subject to New Skies' compliance with a number of conditions established in a recent US law.

In March 2000, the US Congress passed the Orbit Act, which addresses the privatisation of the intergovernmental satellite organisations, including Intelsat, and its spin-off, New Skies. One of the Act's provisions was a requirement for the substantial dilution of New Skies' inherited shareholder base through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) so that New Skies' shareholder structure would be distinct from that of Intelsat's.

In October, 2000, New Skies completed its IPO, selling over 30 million shares and diluting the shareholdings of its Intelsat owners by more than 23%. Following its IPO, New Skies petitioned the FCC for normalisation of its US customers' licenses.

RAW Communications Uses Cyberstar For Worldwide Distribution of Financial Content
Loral CyberStar has been awarded a three-year, multimillion-dollar contract by RAW Communications. RAW will use CyberStar s ClearStream service, a satellite-based global Internet Protocol (IP) multicast service, to deliver RAW Financial, its premier broadband service, directly to the desktops of thousands of leading fund managers across Europe and the United States.

CyberStar's satellite-based ClearStream allows RAW to stream high-quality, fully indexed, financial-related video directly to institutional and retail investors desktops over its unique broadband Internet network and the public Internet.

RAW Financial is an Internet financial media content delivery network that disseminates messages, including analyst presentations, special announcements such as bids or mergers, and IPO road shows, from corporations and brokers to the financial marketplace. Using CyberStar s ClearStream service, RAW can bypass the usual congestion and bandwidth constraints associated with the public Internet, and guarantee high-quality video in a secure format to RAW's users worldwide.

Satellite Data Patent for Helius
Technology developer for satellite data solutions, Helius Inc has been awarded patent number 6,205,473 entitled "Method and Systems for Asymmetric Satellite Communications for Local Area Networks."

This patent applies to, but is not limited to, IP multicast routing technology to multiple clients over a local area network, bi-directional electronic satellite communication supporting a variety of return channels, satellite-based Internet applications, satellite-based interactive solutions and other satellite-related applications. The patent was issued on March 20, 2001.

SED Supplies HNS With Inmarsat RF System
Calian's Systems Engineering Division has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract from Hughes Network Systems (HNS) of Germantown, Maryland.

Under the terms of the HNS contract, Calian's System Engineering Division will provide the Radio Frequency Subsystem (RFS) for the Inmarsat Mobile Broadband Programme. The RFS provides the transmission and reception of RF signals between the ground-based Satellite Access System and the regional satellite, and comprises a 13 m antenna, RF equipment, power calibration equipment, and monitor and control system. On-site installation of the RFS is planned for January 2002.

Inmarsat's new service, planned for launch in 2002, uses leased capacity on the Thuraya satellite. According to Inmarsat, this new service means Inmarsat can start to deliver broadband data services via satellite to their customers in advance of the next generation Inmarsat I-4 satellite system planned for 2004. The new service provided over the Thuraya satellite system will support data rates of up to 144 kb/s.

UDCast Provides Multicast Technology for SkyBridge
UDcast has announced an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Alcatel Space, in which its IP systems will be integrated with Alcatel's core satellite technology. The UDcast platform will be utilised in an initial service offering by SkyBridge, providing IP multicast services to carriers and corporate clients around the world.

UDcast's proprietary technology, based on the Unidirectional Link Routing (UDLR) standard, allows for the full integration of unidirectional links for digital satellite services (DVB-S), terrestrial digital broadcast (DVB-T), and digital radio (DAB).

UDcast provides Internet access and applications providers, content broadcasters and hardware manufacturers with off the shelf software products for total and transparent integration into the Internet of UniDirectional broadcast links such as DVB-S (satellite), DVB-T (terrestrial) et DAB (radio).

Vipersat Delivers Satellite Technology to Chinese Aviation Authority
Vipersat Networks has announced an agreement valued at more than US$ 500,000 to deliver satellite technology to the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC).

The end user is the Air Traffic Bureau of General Administration of CAAC, the national Chinese body responsible for air traffic control. CAAC communicates with its air traffic control offices throughout China by means of a satellite network which allows airports in China to communicate directly with each other, collect flight information and check weather reports.

Vipersat Networks first sold its satellite technology to CAAC in 1998. This most recent technology contract brings the total to more than US$ 2 million in sales to CAAC during the last two years.

Earth Observation

QuickBird Resolution Boosted
EarthWatch's QuickBird 2 commercial imaging satellite is to offer a resolution of 61 cm instead of 1 m. The improvement will be made by using a lower orbit than originally planned.

In December, EarthWatch received a license from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to operate a 0.5 meter resolution satellite system.

The satellite's panchromatic resolution is increased from 1 m to 61 cm and its multispectral resolution is increased from 4 m to 2.5 m. QuickBird 2's design allows it to operate normally at the lower altitude. The satellite carries enough fuel so that mission life is not compromised.

QuickBird 2 will be launched on a Delta II rocket in October 2001 from Vandenberg Air Force Base into a sun synchronous orbit.

TRW Awarded GOES-R Weather System Study Contract
TRW has been awarded a contract to study how to accommodate advanced sensors onto the next series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), starting with GOES-R, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

GOES provides weather information to the National Weather Service, warning of developing storms, tornadoes, flash floods, snow squalls, and volcanic eruptions as well as reporting on routine weather conditions.

TRW was one of several contractors awarded a six-month, US$ 500,000 contract by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. During the study, TRW will define size, weight, power, communication and electrical interface requirements that will enable spacecraft to accommodate advanced GOES weather sensors.

The primary planned sensors for GOES-R satellites are the Advanced Baseline Imager and the Advanced Baseline Sounder. These instruments will provide higher fidelity weather data, at higher data rates, with greater levels of accuracy than current sensors for improved weather prediction.

Military Space

BAe Systems Selected for UK MOD Pilot Direct Broadcast System
BAe Systems has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to carry out a pilot program to explore and develop a full direct broadcast system capability to support British forces during expeditionary deployments.

The direct broadcast system (DBS) will allow huge volumes of information to be broadcast to multiple, geographically dispersed end users in theatre. Central to the MoD's requirement are flexibility of use, future growth potential and, above all, the use of innovative techniques providing a complete managed capability for dissemination of tailored information to the end user in-theatre.

The pilot DBS acquisition is based on the Smart Procurement Initiative (SPI) and, after an initial delivery this year, will be developed incrementally in stages during the following two years.

PDBS will deliver tailored military information on a worldwide basis over a one-way, secure, satellite broadcast system, initially to a limited user base. Users will be able to specify their information requirements, while information providers will supply relevant information and field commanders will authorise and control user accesses.

PDBS will feature robust security measures, interoperability with allied systems, reach-back into existing links and legacy systems integration. Key drivers also include reduced manpower requirements, low lifecycle costs and comprehensive support.

An Interim Operational Capability will be achieved in 2001, with initial trials taking place within Exercise Saif Sareea in the Oman later this year. Mid Operational Capability will be achieved by the end of 2002 and Full Operational Capability of the Pilot system by the end of 2003.

The BAe Systems team - based at its Portsmouth site - includes partners DERA, Kingston MediaStream, General Dynamics, ComputaCenter and SAIC.

Science

Rockwell Receives Sensor Contract for Comet Mission
The Rockwell Science Center (RSC) has received a contract from Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp to provide infrared image sensors for a NASA discovery mission that will study the interior of a comet.

The comet mission, called Deep Impact, will be performed by a flyby spacecraft and impactor built by Ball Aerospace. The impactor, a mostly copper spacecraft weighing 350 kg, will be released from the flyby spacecraft about 24 hours prior to its collision with the comet, Tempel I. An RSC imager in an infrared spectrometer on the flyby spacecraft will be used to study the composition of the comet's surface prior to impact and its interior afterwards.

The Deep Impact spacecraft will be launched in January 2004, and the impactor will encounter Tempel I on July 4, 2005, about 80 million miles from Earth.

Deep Impact is the first mission to study the interior of a comet which astronomers believe contains material unchanged since the formation of the solar system. The impactor, travelling at nearly 10 km/s prior to the collision, will create a crater on Tempel I as big as a football field and deep as a seven-story building.

The RSC imager contains over one million picture elements. Imagers built by Rockwell are being used for astronomy in most of the world's ground-based telescopes; imager technology developed by RSC is also employed on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Launch Services

Astra 3A to Launch on Ariane 5
Arianespace, Boeing Satellite Systems and Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) have signed a contract to launch the Astra 3A telecommunications spacecraft on an Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle.

Astra 3A is to be launched by the Ariane 5 in early 2002 from Kourou, French Guiana.

Astra 3A will be built at Boeing Satellite Systems' El Segundo, California facility. It will use a Boeing 376 HP bus fitted with 20 active transponders (21 at beginning of service). Designed for a minimum in-orbit life of 10 years, Astra 3A will be positioned at 23.5° E, providing direct broadcast coverage for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It will also provide service continuity for Deutsche Telekom's DFS Kopernikus FM3 satellite.

Atlas III to Launch US Navy's UFO F-11 Satellite
An Atlas III rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS) has been selected to launch the latest in a line of mobile communications satellites for the US Navy. Lockheed Martin Space Systems builds the Atlas vehicles.

ILS will launch the Navy's UHF Follow-On (UFO) F-11 satellite in 2003 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The satellite's manufacturer, Boeing Satellite Systems Inc., (BSS) has contracted for the launch services with ILS under its delivery-in-orbit contract with the Navy, as it has with the other satellites in the UFO series.

C/NOFS to Launch on Pegasus
Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus XL rocket has been selected by Spectrum Astro Inc. to launch the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite that it is manufacturing for the US Air Force Space Test Program.

The C/NOFS Pegasus launch is scheduled to be conducted in 2003. The primary objective of the C/NOFS mission is to provide the US military with advance notice of irregularities in the Earth's ionosphere and atmosphere that may interfere with space-based communication, navigation and surveillance systems.

ISRO's Launcher Stays On Pad
The launch of India's Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle [GSLV-D1] from SHAR Centre, Sriharikota in southern India, was aborted in the last moments due to technical reasons.

The countdown for the lift-off proceeded smoothly till about 1 second before lift off. The automatic launch process system held the countdown and immediately the strap-on stages were commanded to shut down. Necessary actions were also taken to ensure safety of all the systems.

Preliminary analysis indicates that one of the four liquid propellant strap-on boosters on the first stage had not developed the required thrust. The strap-on stages, which are ignited at 4.6 seconds before lift off, are tested for their thrust build-up to at least 90% and if all these do not develop the required thrust, the count down is automatically held. The subsequent sequence of events including the ignition of the solid propellant core motor was prevented.

The launch, which was to have carried the GSAT-1 experimental communications satellite, has now been postponed indefinitely until ISRO engineers understand the cause of the problem.

Long March to Launch Intelsat's APR 3
Astrium has signed an agreement to launch the APR 3 satellite it is manufacturing for Intelsat on a Chinese Chang Zheng [Long March] 3B rocket in May 2002.

This is the first major international launch agreement with China since 1996 when a Chang Zheng 3B carrying an Intelsat satellite Intelsat 706) crashed just after launch killing at least six people.

Financial terms have not been released.

APR 3 will also be known as Sinosat 1B and will be positioned at 85° E providing coverage of China, Russia, India and the Middle East.

Intelsat will lease 6 of the satellite's 30 transponders to Sino Satellite Communications Co Ltd (Sinosat). As part of the agreement Sinosat will also acquire two transponders on an Intelsat satellite to be launched in 2003.

Spaceway Chooses Sea Launch for First Two Satellites
Boeing Satellite Systems Inc (BSS) has contracted with the Sea Launch Co for the launch of two Spaceway satellites.

The satellites are Boeing 702 model spacecraft currently being manufactured and launched for Hughes. BSS is under contract to launch the first North American satellite at the end of 2002.

The Spaceway Ka band satellites will be used in a new global broadband satellite network to provide high-bandwidth and high-speed communications for broadband and multimedia applications to North America. The satellites will provide bandwidth on demand and will operate exclusively in the Ka band spectrum.

Using a Globalstar Phone for Launch Support
In a landmark program with NASA, a Flight Modem has been developed that will utilise the Globalstar communications network to allow a rocket or any other flight vehicle to communicate with ground controllers without the traditional and costly equipment typically associated with flight missions.

A prototype system, based on standard components from Globalstar and other suppliers, was successfully flown in mid-February aboard an Orion rocket from Kiruna, Sweden. Once the rocket reached a test altitude at the edge of the earth's atmosphere, the modem, which weighed less than 1.4 kg, phoned home via the Globalstar satellite constellation. When used in future flights, the Flight Modem can yield cost savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars per launch, a drastic reduction in logistical issues, and worldwide access to launch data from launch pad to orbit for critical telemetry and systems data.

This space-bound Globalstar modem was a modified version of the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) modem that is now being offered by Globalstar USA for use in industrial data applications, such as reliable wireless remote asset tracking and relaying telemetry information from remote sites.

The Flight Modem, located aboard the rocket, basically acts like a Globalstar phone and places a call, through orbiting satellites, to ground controllers. The modem can relay the position of the rocket and may one day also provide information on the performance and health of the vehicle and its payload. The modem was developed and tested at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia.

Business

Intelsat Secures US$1 Billion Credit Facility
Intelsat has secured a US$ 1 billion credit facility intended to provide liquidity support for the expansion of the company's business and privatisation expenses, including a final distribution to its current investors.

In connection with its privatisation, currently scheduled for 18 July 2001, Intelsat is becoming self-funding, and this recently syndicated unsecured credit facility will also be available to support general corporate purposes, including working capital needs.

Intelsat's New Corporate Identity
Intelsat has launched a new brand identity which focuses on how the company inspires connections with people, businesses and partners around the globe.

The centre point of the brand is a new visual identity that includes three panels that intersect to form the letter "i" in the middle, representing how Intelsat is a bridge that helps its customers and their worlds connect. The word mark for Intelsat is no longer spelled in all upper case letters, as an acronym, but with an initial capital "I," as the proper name of the company.

SES Acquires GE Americom
SES Global is to acquire GE Americom stock and other assets in a US$ 5 billion transaction. GE Capital is to become a strategic shareholder in SES Global.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of SES and GE Capital, SES Global, a newly formed company headquartered in Luxembourg, will acquire 100% of Americom stock and other assets and liabilities for US$ 5 billion.

GE Capital and other GE entities will contribute the stock of Americom and will sell other assets and liabilities to SES Global in exchange for US$ 2.683 billion in cash and 15,431,752 SES Global shares.

SES Global will issue 15,431,752 shares to GE Capital in this transaction in the event that SES' share price is between Euro 110 and Euro 188 as measured at closing. At prices above Euro 188, SES retains the incremental value by a combination of issuing fewer shares and paying less cash. At prices below Euro 110 but not less than Euro 86, SES will make whole the value of GE Capital's equity to the Euro 110 level by issuing more shares or paying additional cash. General Electric Capital Corporation (GE Capital) will hold a 25.1% economic interest and a 20.1% voting interest in SES Global.

SES Global will also acquire SES Astra in a 1 to 1 exchange offer to SES SA shareholders. The transaction is expected to close prior to year-end 2001, conditional upon acceptance by shareholders representing 80% of the voting rights of SES SA, and after appropriate regulatory approvals.

SES Global will finance the transaction through a combination of debt and new equity. Deutsche Bank AG, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter have underwritten medium and long term funding for the required cash portion of the acquisition and for the SES Global financing needs.

New shares will be issued to Luxembourg public institutions, which will retain their current level of economic and voting interest in SES Global. A discretionary international public equity offering is planned, combined with a listing on a US stock exchange, which will bring the free float of the enlarged company to 25%

At closing of the transaction, GE Capital will have the right to three members of the SES Global Board of Directors, including one Vice Chairman.

SES Global will hold all SES Group participations, in particular SES Astra (100%), SES Americom (100%), SES Multimedia (100%), AsiaSat (34.10%), NSAB (50%), Star One (19.99%), and Americom's interests in Latin America and Asia.

GE American Communications Inc (GE Americom") is a leading provider of global satellite communications through a fleet of 17 wholly-owned satellites. Americom operates 13 communications satellites over North America. It also holds shares in a number of international operations allowing it access to the following: 1 satellite in Europe through co-ownership with NSAB, 1 satellite in Asia Pacific through a joint venture with Lockheed Martin, 1 satellite in Latin America through a stake in Nahuelsat, 4 satellites for trans-oceanic satellite services acquired from Columbia Communications. The Company also maintains a supporting network of earth stations, central terminal offices, and telemetry, tracking and control facilities.

Based in Luxembourg, Société Européenne des Satellites SA (SES) is the operator of the Astra DTH Satellite system. The company holds strategic interests in satellite operations in Europe and across the world: NSAB (50%), AsiaSat (34.10%) and Star One (19.99%).

SHOT Signs Space Act Agreement with NASA
Space Hardware Optimization Technology Inc.(SHOT), has signed an agreement with NASA which allows the company to conduct flight experiments for commercial customers on the agency's space shuttles.

SHOT is now one of only four non-university-based companies in the nation with such an agreement with NASA.

Pharmaceutical, biomedical, biotechnology and other types of companies that have conducted research in space mostly have done so through one of NASA's Commercial Space Centers, often based at universities, which receive base grants from the agency. SHOT will not receive NASA base grant funding for its commercial projects.

Founded in 1988, SHOT is an applied-technology company that provides services and equipment to customers performing research both in space and in their ground-based laboratories. With experience earned from placing its hardware on three sub-orbital rocket flights and six space shuttle missions, the company has become a one-stop-shop for microgravity investigators.

Most current contracts are with NASA to develop biological and medical research hardware for flights aboard space shuttles and the International Space Station. As it does now for its NASA-sponsored payloads, SHOT will provide commercial customers with scientific and engineering services and support pre-launch, on-orbit and following space shuttle touchdown.

Telenor Acquires LMGT's Comsat Mobile
Norwegian operator Telenor is to acquire Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications' (LMGTs) Comsat Mobile Communications operations for US$ 116.5 million in cash.

The acquisition, which positions Telenor as a major global satellite mobile operator, is subject to regulatory approvals.

Comsat Mobile, with annual revenues in excess of US$ 100 million, provides global mobile communications solutions to the maritime, land mobile and aeronautical communities, and offers data, voice, fax, telex and video capabilities via the Inmarsat satellite constellation.

Telenor's purchase of Comsat Mobile operations also includes two earth station facilities in Southbury, Connecticut, and Santa Paula, California. Linking the two US stations with Telenor's existing earth station in Eik, Norway, will enable Telenor to offer true global coverage for satellite mobile communication services.

Following the transaction, Telenor will be one of the leading Inmarsat global operators. Additionally, in September 2000, Telenor purchased a portion of LMGT's Inmarsat shares to become the largest owner of Inmarsat, holding the maximum permitted stake of 15%.

While the two companies pursue requisite regulatory approvals from the US government, a process expected to be completed over the next several months, Comsat Mobile will continue to operate as an LMGT business unit.

Upon completion of the transaction, Comsat Mobile will become a key part of the satellite mobile division of Telenor Broadband Services AS, operating through its wholly owned US subsidiary, Telenor Satellite Mobile Services, a Delaware corporation. Telenor Broadband Services AS is one of four core business areas within the Telenor Group.

WildBlue Cancels IPO
Satellite-based Internet access provider wannabe WildBlue Communications has withdrawn its intended US$ 200 million IPO. The reason - "continuing unfavourable conditions in the financial markets."

WildBlue intended to use the net proceeds for capital expenditures, including satellites and ground infrastructure, working capital and other general corporate purposes. It has already raised US$ 239 million in equity financing and another US$ 146 million in vendor financing. WildBlue's main shareholders include Liberty Media Group, EchoStar Communications Corp, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Telesat Canada and TRW.

WildBlue, which is developing a satellite system for two-way, always-on high speed Internet access to residential and small office/home office customers was expecting to launch its first satellite in the first quarter of 2002.

Products and Services

Harmonic Introduces New 8PSK Product Line For CyberStream Multi-Service Platform
Harmonic Data Systems has upgraded its CyberStream Multi-Service Platform. The enhancements include a second-generation, higher capacity DVB IP data gateway, a new 8PSK-VSAT terminal and an 8PSK receiver/router. The expanded platform can deliver both two-way (VSAT) and one-way services under one integrated system.

The 8PSK support of the CyberStream platform enables broadband service providers, corporations, and ISPs to increase network throughput for their subscribers using multimedia services over satellite. 8PSK is an advanced higher order RF modulation technique that can transmit 3 bits from each symbol (i.e. the same bandwidth). By comparison QPSK gives only 2 bits. This in effect provides up to 50% greater throughput in a given amount of transponder space.

Using the enhanced CyberStream platform, a satellite service provider can establish a complete end-to-end broadband two-way (VSAT) and one-way network that supports up to 100 Mb/s. This translates to an increase in IP-over-satellite network throughput and efficiency, while decreasing the overall network operational costs.

The new CyberStream IP Gateway, the IPG 8010, prepares the IP information for delivery over DVB transport streams. New features include speed up to 100 Mb/s, an unlimited IP address group support and TCP/IP acceleration. The data gateway provides the speed for operators to offer services using advanced modulations such as 8PSK. The unlimited IP address group support enables more efficient use of IP addresses as required by many backbone connectivity providers. The TCP/IP acceleration overcomes the satellite latency and increases the TCP/IP throughput per session.

The CyberStream IPG 8010 is a new module that resides in the CyberStream Multi-Service Platform. Up to ten data gateway modules can be supported in a single chassis, to deliver an overall platform throughput of up to 1 Gb/s. The data gateway modules can be concurrently controlled alongside multiple MPEG-2 video compression modules. A variety of DVB multiplexing modules optimise available bandwidth. The data gateways are managed by the Harmonic Integrated Management System, which includes software for subscriber management, a bandwidth manager (QoS), a SNMP network manager, billing and Radius interfaces.

The Enterprise1 family of receiver/routers from Harmonic Data was launched in 1997, and became a leading corporate and ISP solution for broadband IP services delivered over satellite. The new 8PSK receiver/router (terrestrial return) is the Enterprise1 model 703. The new 8PSK VSAT terminal is the Enterprise2 model VR102. Both new products can support speeds up to 64 Mb/s sustained.

At remote sites, the Enterprise2 - VSAT terminals and Enterprise1 - LAN router/receivers (with terrestrial return) are used for the corporate market. For the SOHO and consumer markets, the SatBox - USB based satellite PC receiver is offered.

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International Datacasting Announces Additions to Management Team
International Datacasting has announced a series of changes to its management team.

Salvador Giblas has been appointed to the position of Vice President, Business Development for the Americas. Mr Giblas will be responsible for the strategic development of the company's business in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. He will be based in IDC's new office in Mill Valley, California and work closely with IDC's expanding sales and business development team in these regions. Mr Giblas will also be part of IDC's Senior Management Team.

IDC has also named Diana Cantu as Director of Marketing Communications. Ms Cantu will head up the marketing department of IDC. In addition to ongoing marketing duties, this group will be charged with re-defining the image of International Datacasting and its subsidiaries, Storm Internet and CDS Prometheus as the corporate group continues to grow.

Also joining IDC's California-based operations is Matt Ashe as Director Special Projects.

New CEO at MTN
David Kagan has been named CEO of Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), Verestar Inc's maritime subsidiary that offers Internet, voice and data services to the cruise ship, oil, gas and military industries.

In this new role, Kagan will focus on growing MTN's Internet cafe services for the maritime industries, as well as developing new lines of business and product innovations.

As MTN's Chief Executive Officer, David Kagan will bring together the Internet and core communications units within MTN and Digital Seas, MTN's maritime internet cafe division, in order to realise its full potential by providing enhanced services and expanding the MTN business into new markets.

Verestar Appoints Chief Operating Officer
Verestar Inc has appointed Andrew Bast as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).

He will report to Chief Executive Officer, David Garrison.

Prior to joining Verestar, Bast served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Road Runner LLC, a US wide cable-modem Internet Service Provider in Herndon, Virginia.

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