Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 8 Broadcast Satellite Speeds Into Orbit

Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 8 Broadcast Satellite Speeds Into Orbit

PARIS, August 5/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The HOT BIRD(TM) 8 broadcast satellite of Eutelsat
Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) was successfully launched today by a
Proton Breeze M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 03.48 am
Baikonur time August 5 (23.48 CET August 4; 21.48 GMT August 4). Weighing in
on the launch pad at 4.9 tonnes, HOT BIRD(TM) 8 is the largest and most
powerful European Ku-band broadcast satellite to go into geostationary orbit.

In less than 10 minutes after lift-off, the three-stage Proton
vehicle supplied by International Launch Services (ILS) finished its climb
into space, leaving the Breeze M upper stage to continue its mission for the
next nine hours. The Breeze M's engine underwent five burns to place the EADS
Space-built satellite into a transfer orbit. The satellite was separated this
morning from the Proton launch vehicle at 06.59 GMT with signal acquisition
established by Eutelsat from its Rambouillet teleport near Paris. Manoeuvres
that will be conducted over the next days include full circularisation of the
satellite's orbit and deployment of the solar panels and antenna reflectors,
which will be followed by a series of in-orbit tests.

Giuliano Berretta, Eutelsat Communications CEO said: "Equipped
with a payload which spans the entire range of frequencies at our 13 degrees
East position, HOT BIRD(TM) 8 takes our inter-satellite back-up to a new
level of security. We are looking forward to bringing our new broadcast
satellite into commercial service in October, less than six months since HOT
BIRD(TM) 7A went live at 13 degrees East. My particular thanks also go to our
industrial partners, EADS Space for completing this important satellite
programme and ILS for executing a faultless launch for our company."

HOT BIRD(TM) 8 will assume all broadcast traffic currently
carried by the 20-transponder HOT BIRD(TM) 3 which will subsequently continue
commercial service at an alternative location. The new satellite's additional
capacity will contribute to raising in-orbit security at Eutelsat's HOT
BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood which broadcasts 950 digital channels to over
110 million cable and satellite homes across Europe, North Africa and the
Middle East.

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 more than 2,100 TV and 970 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

Source: Eutelsat Communications

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

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