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NASA Selects Telenor Satellite Services and Verso Technologies for Satellite Communications Modernization



    Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway
    (Oslo Stock Exchange:TEL and NASDAQ:TELN), and Verso Technologies
    (NASDAQ:VRSO) announced today that they have been selected by the
    United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to
    provide digital voice and data satellite communications equipment and
    service to all of its Trans Atlantic Landing Sites.

    The Trans Atlantic Landing Sites are used as emergency landing
    locations for the Space Shuttle during launch.

    Telenor Satellite Services is partnering with Verso Technologies
    to provide mission critical voice communications between all ground
    stations during the launch process using Verso's NetPerformer SDM-9230
    products. The project will leverage the NetPerformer's ability to
    support radio tone keying for communications between the ground
    stations and the space shuttle, low bit rate voice for communications
    between ground stations, and redundancy to ensure that communications
    are not lost during the launch process.

    The selection of Telenor Satellite Services and Verso is part of
    NASA's program to upgrade the emergency satellite communications
    capabilities at its Trans Atlantic Landing Sites for communicating via
    satellite during Shuttle launches and provides Space Shuttle personnel
    at these sites the most reliable and cost-effective methods of
    communicating and sending data to and from locations in the U.S.

    Under the terms of the two-year agreement, Telenor will supply
    Global Area Network satellite communications equipment for the Kennedy
    Space Center in Florida and all the remote sites, as well as
    installation assistance, system configuration, and operator training
    sessions. Verso will provide hardware, software and support services
    to Telenor in support of NASA.

    The satellite communications are routed through Telenor's
    Southbury, Connecticut, teleport. The Southbury facility has served as
    the conduit for NASA's satellite communications to its Trans Atlantic
    Landing Sites since 1988 when the Space Shuttle returned to space
    following the Challenger accident.

    "Telenor Satellite Services has a proven track record of
    reliability and dependability with NASA and we are delighted that they
    have again selected Telenor to participate in the modernization of
    satellite communications to the Trans Atlantic Landing Sites," said
    Morten Tengs, chief executive officer of Telenor Satellite Services.
    "Today our Southbury facility continues to provide a crucial role to
    the shuttle program providing communications supporting these
    emergency landing field sites."

    "Our selection by NASA demonstrates the reliability and
    performance of our product," said Monty Bannerman, chief executive
    officer, Verso Technologies. "Increasingly, Verso is becoming a known
    provider of mission critical satellite communications throughout the
    world, with this project coming on the heels of supplying satellite
    communications on China's recent manned flight missions."

    NASA has multiple Trans Atlantic Landing Sites for the Space
    Shuttle should the craft experience an emergency during or shortly
    after take-off and need to make an emergency landing on the east side
    of the Atlantic Ocean. Shuttle emergency landing sites include Moron
    Air Base and Zaragoza Air Base in Spain, and Istres Air Force Base in
    France.