The first of Intelsat’s new Intelsat IX-series
satellites was placed into an accurate geostationary transfer orbit by an
Ariane 4 launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana this morning.

The Intelsat 901 payload was the 18th Intelsat satellite launched by Ariane,
confirming the global telecommunications operator’s long-term confidence in
Arianespace. Intelsat and Arianespace have worked together since 1983. Since
then, 60 percent of all Intelsat satellites now in operation have been
orbited by Ariane launchers, and Intelsat has become Arianespace’s leading
customer.

Five more Intelsat IX-series satellites are scheduled for launch by
Arianespace, including one more spacecraft this year. The Intelsat IX-series
satellites are tailored for today’s telecommunications demands, and are key
to Intelsat’s business development strategy.

62nd successful launch in a row for Ariane 4

Today’s Flight 141 once again demonstrated the quality and reliability of
Arianespace’s launch services. Since March 1995, Arianespace has performed
62 successful Ariane 4 launches in a row.

Ariane 5 next in line

Three more Ariane 4 launches and four Ariane 5 missions are planned through
the end of 2001.

The next Arianespace launch, Flight 142, is slated for July 12. For this
mission, an Ariane 5 will orbit a dual payload: the Artemis experimental
telecommunications satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA), and the
BSAT-2b direct TV broadcast satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corporation
of the United States for the Japanese B-SAT consortium. Flight 142 will be
the seventh commercial mission for Europe’s new-generation heavy launcher.

Following this morning’s mission, Arianespace’s backlog stands at 37
satellites to be launched, plus 9 ATV missions for the International Space
Station.

Flight 141 at a glance

Flight 141 was carried out by an Ariane 44L, the most powerful version of
this launcher, with four liquid-propellant strap-on boosters, from Europe’s
Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on June 9, 2001 at 3:45 am
local time (6H45 GMT; 8:45 am in Paris and 2:45 am in Washington, DC).

Provisional parameters at third stage injection were:

Perigee:

Apogee:

Inclination: 199.7 km for a target of 199.8 km (±3 km)

35,884 km for a target of 35,943 km (±150 km)

6.99 degrees for a target of 7.00 degrees (±0.06*)

Intelsat 901

Built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California, the Intelsat 901
satellite will be positioned at 342 degrees East. It joins the Intelsat
fleet of satellites providing telecommunications and television services for
the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Intelsat 901 weighed 4,723 kg at liftoff, and is equipped with 42 C-band
transponders and 12 Ku-band transponders. It has a design life of more than
13 years.

About Intelsat

Intelsat is an international communications provider offering Internet,
broadcast, telephony and corporate network solutions around the globe
through its fleet of 19 satellites. For nearly four decades, many of the
world’s leading telecommunications companies, multinational corporations and
broadcasters in more than 200 countries and territories have relied on
Intelsat satellites and staff for quality connections, global reach and
reliability. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world’s commercial launch services leader holding more
than 50 percent of the international market for satellites launched to
geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Created in 1980 as the world’s first
commercial space transportation company, Arianespace has signed contracts
for the launch of more than 230 satellite payloads. The company’s
headquarters is located in Evry, near Paris and launch operations are
performed from the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana (South America).