Lockheed Martin
Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) today announced the award of a
contract from Telesat Canada to build an A2100 geosynchronous
satellite, with launch on an Atlas V rocket provided by International
Launch Services (ILS), backed up by a Proton. The Ku/Ka-band
satellite, designated Nimiq 2, will provide direct broadcast services
across Canada following its scheduled launch in the fourth quarter of
2002. The satellite represents the fourth new order of the year for
Commercial Space Systems from several customers.

“Today’s announcement of plans for Nimiq 2 is yet another sign
that Telesat is aggressively expanding its satellite fleet for the
future,” said Larry Boisvert, Telesat’s president and CEO. “The launch
of Telesat’s second direct broadcast satellite will enable the
continued growth of our business. We’re very pleased to work with
Lockheed Martin and ILS — our partners on the launch of the historic
Nimiq 1 satellite in 1999.”

Nimiq 2, a high power Ku/Ka-band satellite, will be located at 91
degrees West longitude. The spacecraft features 32 active 24 MHz
Ku-band transponders with 120 watt power amplifiers, and also has a
Ka-band payload that will provide broadband services. Nimiq 2 will be
an A2100AX satellite, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space
Systems, with a minimum service life of 12 years. The satellite’s name
— chosen from 36,000 submissions in a national contest in 1998 — is
an Inuit word for any object or force that unites things or binds them
together.

“We are extremely pleased that Telesat has selected Lockheed
Martin to provide the Nimiq 2 direct broadcast satellite and the Atlas
V rocket,” said Ted Gavrilis, president, Lockheed Martin Commercial
Space Systems. Nimiq I is also an A2100 series satellite manufactured
by Lockheed Martin and has been providing direct-to-home satellite
television to consumers across Canada since 1999. “Telesat is a valued
customer and we are honored that another A2100 spacecraft will serve
their growing business,” added Gavrilis.

“ILS launched the first Nimiq satellite on a Proton in May 1999,
and we welcome the opportunity to launch Nimiq 2 on an Atlas V,” said
ILS President Mark Albrecht. “Having repeat business means customers
are confident we’ll provide reliable launch vehicles and dependable
schedules.” ILS manages launches on both the Lockheed Martin-built
Atlas vehicles and the Proton rockets built by Khrunichev of Russia.

The first vehicle in the high-performance Atlas V series has been
built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, and was recently
shipped to Cape Canaveral, Fla. It will be ready for launch in the
second quarter of 2002. The Atlas V family is designed to lift
payloads from 4900 kg to nearly 8700 kg to geosynchronous transfer
orbit (GTO). It incorporates state-of-the-art designs, materials and
processes, including the throttleable, Russian-built RD-180 engine,
the first variable-thrust main engine to power a U.S. expendable
launch vehicle. The RD-180 and most of the other technologies for
Atlas V were flight-proven last year, during ILS’ successful initial
launch of the Atlas III rocket.

The A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft is designed to meet a wide
variety of telecommunications needs ranging from Ka band/broadband
services, fixed satellite services in a hybrid Ku- and C-band payload
configuration, to high-power direct broadcast services using the
Ku-band frequency spectrum. The A2100’s modular design features a
reduction in parts, simplifying construction, increasing on-orbit
reliability and reducing weight and cost.

About Telesat (www.telesat.ca)

Telesat is the world’s most experienced commercial satellite
operator. The company made history in 1972 with the launch of the
first domestic commercial communications satellite in geostationary
orbit. Based in Ottawa, Canada, Telesat now provides
telecommunications and broadcast distribution services throughout the
Americas and is a leading consultant, operator and partner in
satellite ventures around the globe. Telesat is a wholly owned
subsidiary of BCE Inc., one of the world’s leading telecommunications
companies.

About ILS

ILS is a joint venture formed in 1995, with Lockheed Martin Corp.
in the United States, and Khrunichev State Research and Production
Space Center and RSC Energia in Russia. It provides launch services to
customers worldwide, including technical, management and marketing
expertise.

ILS’ Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company — Astronautics Operations at
facilities in Denver, Colo.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif.
The three-stage Proton and the Breeze M upper stage are produced by
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center at its factory
near Moscow. The alternative Block DM fourth stage is built by RSC
Energia, also near Moscow. ILS offers the broadest range of launcher
products in the world along with the highest reliability in the
industry. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.

About Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems

Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems markets, designs and
builds geostationary and non-geostationary telecommunications and
remote sensing satellites for customers worldwide. LMCSS is an
operating unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, one of the
core business areas of the Lockheed Martin Corporation .
Lockheed Martin has a 41-year heritage of building reliable spacecraft
for commercial and military customers, having launched more than 875
spacecraft and clocking nearly 1,500 years of on-orbit performance
experience.

For more information about Lockheed Martin Commercial Space
Systems, see our web site at http://www.lmcommercialspace.com.