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ILS and SES Announce Three New Proton Launches

Dépèche transmise le 18 mars 2009 par Business Wire

ILS and SES Announce Three New Proton Launches

RESTON, Va. & LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International Launch Services (ILS) and SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced three new launch assignments under the Multi Launch Agreement that was signed in June 2007 between ILS and SES Satellite Leasing Limited, SES’ satellite procurement and leasing company in the Isle of Man. This innovative agreement was designed to provide SES with increased flexibility in their launch plans and improved schedule assurance.

Two of the primary missions will be NSS-14 for SES NEW SKIES and Sirius 5 for SES SIRIUS. These missions are scheduled respectively for late 2010 and 2011. NSS-14 is poised to be the largest satellite in the SES NEW SKIES fleet and will enhance what is already the largest neighborhood in the Atlantic Ocean region at 338 degrees East. Sirius 5 is a multi-mission satellite for the SES group serving Northern Europe and the Baltic region as well as the African markets with Ku- and C-band from the orbital location of 5 degrees East. Additionally, Proton has been designated to launch the OS-1 mission in early 2010, destined for the U.S. domestic arc.

Frank McKenna, President of ILS said, “SES and ILS have a long-standing partnership. The first ILS commercial Proton launch was SES Astra 1F in 1996. Following the launches of Astra 1M and Ciel 2 late last year, we are pleased to continue to provide the flexibility, schedule assurance and reliability that SES can expect within the framework of our groundbreaking Multi Launch Agreement.”

“ILS and Khrunichev proved that they can deliver on demanding schedules,” said Martin Halliwell, President of SES ENGINEERING and Chairman of SES Satellite Leasing. “We are confident that ILS and Proton will support the continuous development and replacement of our global satellite fleet with flawless on-schedule launches.”

About ILS and Khrunichev

ILS is a world leader in providing mission and launch services for global satellite operators and offers a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, Va., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.

Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of over 340 missions since 1965. Khrunichev includes among its branches a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation. For more information, visit www.khrunichev.com.

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 owns 90 percent 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 40 satellites in 26 orbital positions around the globe. Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com.