SES AMERICOM Declares AMC-14 Satellite a Total Loss



    SES S.A. (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) today announced that SES
    AMERICOM, its North American subsidiary, has declared to insurers that
    its recently launched satellite - AMC-14 - is now considered a total
    loss, due to a lack of viable options to reposition the satellite to
    its proper geostationary orbit.

    "SES and Lockheed Martin have carefully examined all the available
    options for repositioning this satellite into its intended
    geostationary orbit," said Edward Horowitz, President and CEO of SES
    AMERICOM. "Unfortunately, none of those options would allow effective
    use of the spacecraft. The various repositioning scenarios presented
    carry unacceptable risks, and would result in a severely shortened
    life of the satellite. Therefore, we have no choice but to claim a
    total loss of the satellite with our insurers."

    AMC-14 was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, and
    launched on a Proton/Breeze M rocket provided by ILS (International
    Launch Services) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

    The launch of AMC-14 failed on March 15 when an anomaly during the
    second burn of the fourth stage of the rocket resulted in the
    satellite being placed short of the planned geostationary transfer
    orbit. While an initial assessment of the available options to
    reposition the satellite appeared encouraging, more detailed
    examinations by SES and Lockheed Martin engineers determined that the
    various scenarios could not provide a reasonable chance of success.

    Mark Rigolle, Chief Financial Officer of SES commented: "The loss
    of any satellite is a disappointment, and the failure of AMC-14 means
    there will be no revenues to come from this programme. However, SES is
    fully insured for its investment, and there will be no negative P&L
    impact from the accelerated writedown of AMC-14. We expect to receive
    the insurance proceeds of approximately USD 150 million in the next
    few months, thereby enhancing our cash position. The rest of our
    business in North America and worldwide has no connection with, and is
    unaffected by, this launch failure."

    While AMC-14 is currently in a stable orbit, SES is exploring
    plans to retire the satellite.

    About SES

    SES (Paris:SESG) (LuxX: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 also holds 90% 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 38 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe.
    Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com