NEW YORK, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Loral Space & Communications today announced that the Telstar 18 satellite has set sail aboard Sea Launch's Odyssey Launch Platform, bound for its equatorial launch site in the Pacific Ocean. Lift-off aboard a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket is scheduled for June 28, 2004.
"When it enters service in August, the Telstar 18 satellite will add substantial capacity in Asia, one of Loral's most successful FSS markets," said Terry Hart, president, Loral Skynet. "Telstar 18 will join the already in-orbit Telstar 10 in serving Asia, offering cable, broadcast and SkyReach IP service connectivity stretching from Europe, through Asia and Australia, then on to the U.S. via Hawaii."
Built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and operated by Loral Skynet -- both subsidiaries of Loral Space & Communications -- Telstar 18 will be located at 138 degrees East longitude and carry a total of 54 active transponders, sixteen high-power Ku-band transponders and thirty-eight C-band transponders.
In consideration for funding a portion of the satellite project's cost, APT Satellite Company Limited, Hong Kong, will initially acquire use of 68.5 percent of Telstar 18's capacity for Apstar V services. The number of transponders used by APT will be reduced over time, ultimately to 54 percent of the satellite's capacity. For more information on APT, visit http://www.apstar.com/.
In addition to transmitting cable programming and direct-to-home broadcasting services, Telstar 18 will host Skynet's SkyReach two-way IP-based end-to-end networking solution. SkyReach(SM), which is already available and in use by several customers throughout the Americas, allows organizations to create an instant infrastructure using a VSAT network, connecting offices within a city or around the globe.
Telstar 18 is a version of SS/L's space-proven 1300 satellite platform, which has an excellent record of reliable operation. The geostationary 1300 has a designed service life of 13 years and maintains station-keeping and orbital stability by using bipropellant propulsion and momentum-bias systems. In all, SS/L satellites have amassed more than 1,000 years of on-orbit service.
Loral's other Asian satellite, Telstar 10/Apstar IIR, is operating at 76.5 degrees East longitude and is more than 80 percent utilized. Telstar 10 provides service for data applications throughout the region and also hosts one of the largest video communities in Asia.
A pioneer in the satellite industry, Loral Skynet continues to deliver the superior service quality and range of satellite solutions that have made it an industry leader for more than 40 years. Through the broad coverage of the Telstar satellite fleet, and in combination with its established hybrid VSAT/fiber global network infrastructure, Skynet is a source for all broadcast, data network, Internet access, IP and systems integration needs. Headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey, Loral Skynet is dedicated to providing secure, high-quality connectivity and communications. For more information, visit http://www.loralskynet.com/.
Space Systems/Loral is a premier designer, manufacturer, and integrator of powerful satellites and satellite systems. SS/L also provides a range of related services that include mission control operations and procurement of launch services. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., the company has an international base of commercial and government customers whose applications include broadband digital communications, direct-to-home broadcast, defense communications, environmental monitoring, and air traffic control. SS/L is ISO 9001:2000 certified. For more information, visit http://www.ssloral.com/.
Loral Skynet and Space Systems/Loral are both subsidiaries of Loral Space & Communications (BULLETIN BOARD: LRLSQ) . For more information, visit Loral's web site at http://www.loral.com/.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, Loral Space & Communications Ltd. or its representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing, which may be included in, but are not limited to, various filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases or oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer of the company. Actual results could differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements as a result of a wide variety of factors and conditions. These factors include those related to the filing, on July 15, 2003 by Loral and certain of its subsidiaries, of voluntary petitions for reorganization under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and parallel insolvency proceedings in the Supreme Court of Bermuda in which certain partners of KPMG were appointed as joint provisional liquidators. Additional factors and conditions are also described in the section of the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, entitled "Commitments and Contingencies," and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The reader is specifically referred to these documents.
Contact: John McCarthy
(212) 697-1105
CONTACT: John McCarthy, Loral Space & Communications, +1-212-697-1105
Web site: http://www.loral.com/ http://www.apstar.com/
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