Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 8 Satellite Arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome for August Proton Launch

Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 8 Satellite Arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome for August Proton Launch

PARIS, July 6/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The HOT BIRD(TM) 8 broadcasting satellite built by EADS Astrium for
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) arrived this morning at the
Baikonur Cosmodrome for launch on a Proton M Breeze M vehicle provided by
ILS. Launch is scheduled in the night of 4 to 5 August.

Weighing in on the launchpad at 4.9 tonnes and equipped with 64 Ku-band
transponders, HOT BIRD(TM) 8 will be the largest satellite yet orbited by
Eutelsat. Designed for television and radio broadcasting it will be
positioned at 13 degrees East, Eutelsat's prime video neighbourhood, which
delivers 950 television channels and 600 radio stations to 110 million cable
and satellite homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The satellite's mission is to replace the 20 transponders on the HOT
BIRD(TM) 3 satellite, which will continue service at a new location. In
conjunction with HOT BIRD(TM) 7A, which was launched in February 2006, it
will also contribute to raising in-orbit redundancy at Eutelsat's HOT
BIRD(TM) neighbourhood.

Prime contractor EADS Astrium
Platform Eurostar 3000
Mission TV and radio broadcasting
Orbital position 13 degrees East
Coverage Europe, North Africa, Middle East
Launcher Proton M Breeze M
Span in-orbit 39 m with solar panels deployed
Launch mass 4875 kg
Life span > 15 yrs
Payload 64 Ku-band transponders
Electric power 13 kW
Downlink frequencies 10.70 - 12.75 GHz

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is
the holding company of Eutelsat S.A. The Group is a leading satellite
operator with capacity commercialised on 23 satellites providing coverage
over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India
and significant parts of Asia and the Americas. The Group is one of the
world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. Its
satellites are used for broadcasting nearly 1,800 TV and 900 radio stations
to more than 120 million cable and satellite homes. The Group also provides
TV contribution services, corporate networks, mobile positioning and
communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access for
terrestrial, maritime and inflight applications. Eutelsat Communications is
headquartered in Paris, and the Group's workforce comprises over 480 from 27
countries.

www.eutelsat.com

For further information:

Press:
Vanessa O'Connor
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Frederique Gautier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Investors:
Gilles Janvier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-35
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

About EADS Astrium

EADS Astrium is Europe's leading satellite system specialist. Its
activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth
observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft
avionics and equipment.

EADS Astrium is a subsidiary of EADS SPACE. In 2005 EADS SPACE had a
turnover of EUR2.7 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the
United Kingdom and Spain.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services.

In 2005, EADS generated revenues of EUR34.2 billion and employed a
workforce of more than 113,000.

www.space.eads.net

For further information:

Remi Roland
+33-1-42-24-27-34
remi.roland@eads.net

Frederic-Pierre Isoz
+33-1-42-24-28-77
frederic-pierre.isoz@eads.net

Source: Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Contacts: Press: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88, voconnor@eutelsat.fr. Frederique Gautier, Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88, fgautier@eutelsat.fr. Investors: Gilles Janvier, Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-35, investors@eutelsat-communications.com. EADS Contacts: Remi Roland, +33-1-42-24-27-34, remi.roland@eads.net. Frederic-Pierre Isoz, +33-1-42-24-28-77, frederic-pierre.isoz@eads.net

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