LONG BEACH, Calif., July 22, 2010 – Sea Launch Company, a leading provider of launch services to the commercial satellite industry, has signed an agreement with a subsidiary of EchoStar Satellite Services L.C.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS), providing EchoStar with the ability to launch up to three satellites on the Sea Launch system.
Sea Launch expects to launch the satellites using the reliable Zenit-3SL launch vehicle from its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, in international waters of the Pacific Ocean. Sea Launch has successfully launched previous EchoStar satellites, including EchoStar IX in 2003.
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to launch new spacecraft for EchoStar," said Kjell Karlsen, president and general manager of Sea Launch. "This new agreement reinforces our long-term relationship with EchoStar."
"EchoStar is pleased to have completed successful launches with Sea Launch in the past, which give us confidence in Sea Launch’s ability to execute on future launches," said Dean Olmstead, president of EchoStar Satellite Services. "The Sea Launch Zenit-3SL vehicle has been a reliable, flight-proven launch system and we look forward to continued success."
This is one of several new launch agreements that Sea Launch has signed recently, building a healthy manifest as the company moves forward toward successfully exiting Chapter 11 in the third quarter of 2010. On May 10, 2010, Sea Launch filed its Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement. Sea Launch anticipates court confirmation of its Plan of Reorganization at a hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, scheduled for July 27, 2010.
About Sea Launch Company
Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for heavy commercial communications satellites. For additional information, please visit the company website at www.sea-launch.com.
About EchoStar Satellite Services
EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C. is a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) and provides a reliable network available for aggregation and distribution of video, audio and data domestically and internationally. EchoStar represents a significant source of Ku-band and Ka-band satellite capacity and spacecraft operation services with access to 10 satellites and teleport facilities. For more information, visit: www.echostarsatelliteservices.com.
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Contact: Paula Korn, 562.499.4729 or 562.254.5684, paula.korn@sea-launch.com
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