The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] marks the
10th anniversary today of the Boeing 601, the best-selling geosynchronous
communications satellite model that has powered revolutionary changes in the
way people around the world communicate.

From providing the platforms that launched DIRECTV and the satellite
television broadcast industry in 1994 to Navy UHF satellites that support
military operations in Afghanistan today, Boeing 601s have proven their
remarkable versatility again and again. Seventeen customers in nine
countries have ordered a total of 84 Boeing 601s built by Boeing Satellite
Systems, the satellite design and manufacturing arm of Boeing Integrated
Defense Systems, and they continue to leave an enduring mark on the shape of
today’s world.

The first Boeing 601 communication satellite, Optus – B, rocketed into orbit
on Aug. 14, 1992. This spacecraft owned by Optus Communications Pty., Ltd.,
provided the far-flung Australian community with a range of services that
included direct broadcast television, voice communications, digital data
transmission, high-quality television relays and centralized air traffic
control services. In addition, Optus B introduced the first domestic, mobile
satellite communications network to Australia.

Since then, customers around the world have depended on Boeing 601
spacecraft to deliver a similarly diverse array of commercial, civil and
government satellite services for them.

“The 601 satellite line’s flexibility and power give our customers the
solutions they need to meet their individual requirements,” said Randy
Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite Systems. “We designed and built the
601 spacecraft with close attention to the long-term strategic needs of
customers in both the commercial and military worlds and they continue to
evolve and perform to keep pace with those demands.”

The Boeing 601 was introduced in 1987 to meet anticipated requirements for
high-power, multiple-payload satellites for such applications as direct
television broadcasting to small receiving antennas, very small aperture
terminals for private business networks, and mobile communications. The
basic configuration features as many as 48 transponders and offers up to
4,800 watts.

A more powerful version, the Boeing 601HP, made its debut in 1995. The
Higher Power, or HP, versions can carry payloads twice as powerful as the
classic Boeing 601 models and incorporate innovations such as gallium
arsenide solar cells, and advanced battery technology. The 601HP features as
many as 60 transponders and provides up to 10,000 watts of power.

The Boeing 601 satellite is a remarkably adaptable platform that can be
configured with several types of antenna configurations that range from very
simple reflectors systems to very complex, systems, such as the 15-foot
diameter springback antenna aboard the NASA Tracking Data and Relay
Satellite (TDRS) spacecraft. These steerable antennas can simultaneously
transmit and receive in two different radio frequency bands, supporting dual
independent two-way communication with the space shuttle, the International
Space Station and dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth
orbit.

“The Boeing 601 satellite’s biggest feature is its flexibility in support of
multiple applications,” said Art Rosales, Boeing 601 product manager for
BSS. “For example, TDRS is a complex satellite with its large steerable
antennas, which creates a very high demand on the control system to keep the
spacecraft stable. Another example is the DIRECTV-4S spot beam antennas that
enable local, customizable broadcasting. These antennas are fixed, but you
have to have great pointing capability to keep the beams accurately pointed
at all times.”

Customers – past and present

The Boeing 601 satellite continues to shape the world’s communications
environment for customers. The following is a partial list of Boeing 601
satellite customers and how their satellites have made history:

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company, Hong Kong SAR, China has acquired
three AsiaSat satellites since 1996. AsiaSat 4 is currently being built at
BSS and will be launched in 2003. The AsiaSat satellites are designed to
provide broadcast, telecommunications and broadband multimedia services to
the Asia Pacific region, and direct-to-home broadcast services to Hong Kong.

SES ASTRA, Luxembourg has acquired eight ASTRA satellites since 1990. The
Astra satellites provide direct-to-home reception, transmitting analog and
digital TV and radio services as well as multimedia and Internet content to
the Asia/Pacific region.

DIRECTV, United States has acquired five DIRECTV satellites since 1994.
DIRECTV-4S was launched in November 2001, making it Boeing’s 200th
commercial satellite launch.

JSAT Corporation, Japan, has acquired five JCSAT satellites since 1993. The
latest JSAT satellite, JCSAT-8, will provide coverage to Japan, East Asia,
Australia and Hawaii. The satellite was launched on March 28, 2002 aboard an
Ariane 4 rocket.

ICO Global Communications, United Kingdom has acquired 15 ICO satellites
since 1995. The satellites will be used in a global satellite-based mobile
communications system that will offer digital data and voice services as
well as the satellite equivalent of third-generation (3G) wireless services,
including wireless Internet and other packet-data services.

Satmex, Mexico acquired one SATMEX satellite and two SOLIDARIDAD satellites
since 1991. SATMEX 5, a Boeing 601HP body-stabilized satellite, was
successfully launched on an Ariane rocket on Dec. 5, 1998. SATMEX provides
fixed satellite services, and its satellite fleet includes Solidaridad 2 and
Morelos II.

PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (SATELINDO), Indonesia acquired two Palapa-C
satellites in 1993. The Indonesian satellites carry the name “Palapa,” a
word that signifies unity. The country has more than 13,000 islands, and
satellites are the most efficient and effective way of uniting them with
communications services. The coverage area includes not only Indonesia, but
also Southeast Asia and parts of China, India, Japan, and Australia.

PanAmSat Corporation, United States has acquired 17 Galaxy and PAS
satellites since 1991. The PanAmSat satellites provide global video and data
broadcasting services via satellite. PAS-5 was launched in August 1997,
making it the first in the Boeing 601HP series to be launched. It is the
first Boeing 601 with high-efficiency gallium arsenide solar cells.

Space Communications Corp. (SCC), Japan has acquired three SUPERBIRD
satellites since 1995. SUPERBIRD-6 is scheduled to launch in 2003. The
SUPERBIRD satellites provide business telecommunication services in Japan.

NASA, United States acquired three TDRS satellites in 1995 with the last in
the series. TDRS-J scheduled to launch this Fall.

U.S. Navy acquired 11 UHF Follow-On satellites since 1988. UHF-11 is
scheduled to launch in 2003.

NOAA/NASA, United States ordered up to four Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites in 1998. This new generation of GOES satellites
will provide more accurate location of severe storms and other weather
phenomena, resulting in more precise warnings to the public. Atmospheric
phenomena can be tracked, ensuring real-time coverage of short-lived dynamic
events, such as severe local storms and tropical hurricanes and cyclones,
two types of meteorological events that directly affect public safety,
property, and ultimately, economic health and development. The GOES N and O
satellites are currently being manufactured and will be available for launch
in 2003 and 2004.

Boeing Satellite Systems and Spar Aerospace Ltd. of Canada were selected in
December 1990 to build two satellites for mobile communications services
throughout North America. Boeing Satellite Systems provided the Boeing 601
spacecraft buses, and Spar was responsible for the communications payloads.
American Mobile Satellite Corporation (now known as Motient Corporation) and
TMI Communications and Co. Ltd. of Ottawa, Ontario, made the purchase
jointly, though with separate contracts.

In November 1993, APT Satellite Company, China, chose the Boeing 601 as its
second satellite, APSTAR II, designed to bring television to nearly
two-thirds of the world’s population. The satellite had 26 active
transponders of 52 watts in C-band, plus six 50-watt Ku-band transponders
and two 120-watt Ku-band transponders. APSTAR II and its Long March 2E
booster were destroyed during launch from China in January 1995.

Hughes Global Services (HGS), a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics, made
history in 1998 when it sent a stranded communications satellite around the
moon. The spacecraft, originally called AsiaSat 3, was left in a
lower-than-planned orbit because of a malfunctioning launch vehicle in
December 1997. It was acquired by HGS and was renamed HGS-1.

A Boeing 601HP satellite, Orion 3, was ordered in January 1997. Orion 3 was
intended to expand Loral’s fleet and be its first satellite to serve the
Asia-Pacific region. The satellite was launched on a Delta III rocket in May
1999, but was stranded in an incorrect, low orbit.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, or IDS, is
one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in
St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $23 billion business. It
provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial
customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the
world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based
communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense;
NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos for this news release are available upon request. A
high-resolution photo is also available on the Boeing Satellite Systems web
site at:
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/hsc_pressreleases/photogallery
/photogallery.html

Contact:

Ronea Alger
(310) 364-7575
ronea.l.alger@boeing.com

Ann Beach
(562) 797-4222
ann.m.beach@boeing.com