Eutelsat and Arianespace Pursue Longstanding Partnership With New Contract for Satellite Launch in 2012

Eutelsat and Arianespace Pursue Longstanding Partnership With New Contract for Satellite Launch in 2012

EVRY, France and PARIS, January 17, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continuing a 28-year relationship marked by 25 launch
campaigns, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Arianespace
today announced they have concluded a new contract for a satellite launch in
the 2012 period.

The contract, signed in December 2010, for an Ariane 5 launch
from the Guiana Space Centre, provides Eutelsat with launch diversity and
schedule assurance for its significant in-orbit expansion programme of six
satellites to be launched by mid-2013.

Commenting on this latest contract, Arianespace Chairman and
CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said: "I particularly wish to thank Eutelsat for their
continued confidence in our services. Arianespace is very proud of the
preferred partnership we have built with Eutelsat over more than a quarter of
a century. This contract is our 26th with Eutelsat, one of the world's
leading satellite operators, and further evidence of the outstanding service
and solutions offered by Arianespace."

Eutelsat CEO, Michel de Rosen, added: "With two thirds of our
satellites launched by Arianespace, Eutelsat has been able to consistently
count on their capacity for delivering reliability, flexibility and on-time
performance. This mission for 2012 is a new marker in a solid and
longstanding relationship between our two companies, enabling Eutelsat to
pursue our objective to renew and expand the resources and quality of service
we provide to our customers."

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world's leading launch service & solutions
company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21
shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace offers an unrivalled
family of launchers, comprising Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, and an
international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence.
As of 01 January 2011, Arianespace had launched with Ariane launchers a total
of 289 payloads, including more than half of all the commercial satellites
now in service worldwide. It has a backlog of 21 Ariane 5 and 18 Soyuz
launches, equal to more than three years of business.

http://www.arianespace.com

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity
commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire
European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant
parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading
satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 September 2010, Eutelsat's
satellites were broadcasting more than 3,700 television channels. More than
1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13
degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in
Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a
wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution
markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service
Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's
broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed
internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve
enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and
its subsidiaries employ 660 commercial, technical and operational staff from
28 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

Source: Eutelsat Communications and Arianespace

Press: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, voconnor@eutelsat.fr, Frederique Gautier Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, fgautier@eutelsat.fr, Investors: Lisa Finas, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-35-30 investors@eutelsat-communications.com, Mario de Lepine, Media Relations Manager, Tel : +33-1-60-87-60-15 / 6307, m.delepine@arianespace.fr

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