Empresas y finanzas

SES Announces NSS-12 Satellite Contract Awarded to Space Systems/Loral



    SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) today
    unveiled plans to further enlarge its satellite fleet through a new
    spacecraft procurement with Space Systems/Loral a subsidiary of Loral
    Space & Communications (NASDAQ:LORL). The procurement of the NSS-12
    satellite will be made by SES Satellite Leasing Ltd. and the satellite
    will be commercially operated by SES NEW SKIES. Terms of the
    procurement contract, the first by an SES company with Space
    Systems/Loral, remain confidential.

    The hybrid NSS-12 satellite that Space Systems/Loral will produce
    is slated for operation at the orbital position of 57 degrees East by
    mid-2009. NSS-12 will carry 40 x 36 MHz equivalent C-Band and 48 x 36
    MHz equivalent Ku-band transponders and will serve as a replacement
    for the NSS-8 spacecraft which was destroyed on its launch pad in
    January of this year. NSS-12 is designed to provide SES NEW SKIES with
    additional capacity to commercialise and high-power coverage to
    support the expansion requirements of existing customers while also
    addressing the growing demand for services in Africa, the Middle East
    and India. NSS-12 will have a minimum expected life-time of 15 years.
    A specific launch vehicle has not yet been chosen.

    States Rob Bednarek, President and CEO of SES NEW SKIES: "SES NEW
    SKIES looks forward to our collaboration with Space Systems/Loral on
    the NSS-12 program. We are confident that Loral will deliver a quality
    spacecraft for our use at this important orbital location. We are
    proud that as promised, in a few short months since the NSS-8 launch
    failure, we have been able to quickly define, specify and now arrange
    a replacement, which demonstrates the commitment and strength of SES
    and SES NEW SKIES."

    "As the leader in providing high-power commercial satellites,
    Space Systems/Loral is especially well-positioned to provide SES NEW
    SKIES with a spacecraft that will help it meet the growing demand for
    fixed satellite services around the world," said John Celli, President
    and Chief Operating Officer, Space Systems/Loral. "Our companies share
    the same commitment to performance, reliability and service and we
    look forward to this and other opportunities to work together to
    expand the world's ability to communicate."

    NSS-12 now joins NSS-9, a C-band only satellite which is already
    under construction and slated for launch in late 2008, as another
    important element of the expanding fleet available to SES NEW SKIES.
    In addition to these two satellites, SES is actively planning the
    procurement of a second hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite which will
    likely be configured to operate from a number of different orbital
    slots. The company expects that a firm order for this yet to be named
    spacecraft will be placed within the next months.

    Mr. Bednarek is confident that SES NEW SKIES' fleet development
    plans demonstrate a long-term commitment to meet customer needs: "Our
    new satellites, together with our existing constellation of seven
    in-orbit spacecraft, allow us to continue to support and expand truly
    global coverage for our customers, regardless of their location or
    service needs. Coupled with our history of flexibility,
    cost-effectiveness and customer focus we believe SES NEW SKIES will
    become the preferred satellite capacity provider to an ever growing
    family of customers."

    About SES NEW SKIES

    SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) offering
    satellite communication services to a range of customers including
    telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and
    governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES operates a global fleet of
    seven satellites in orbit, with two additional spacecraft under
    construction (NSS-9 and NSS-12) and ground facilities around the
    world. Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Hong
    Kong, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In
    addition to SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading
    satellite operators SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North
    America and also holds strategic participations in SES Sirius in
    Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides
    outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of
    36 satellites in 25 orbital locations. Further information on the
    company is available at www.ses-newskies.com and on SES at
    www.ses.com.