PanAmSat announced today that its new Galaxy 14 satellite successfully soared into space at 9:08 p.m. ET. Launched into orbit by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Galaxy 14 is the 24th satellite in PanAmSat’s fleet. The satellite, to be co-located with Galaxy 12 at 125 degrees west longitude, will enable PanAmSat to have two in-orbit spares for its U.S. fleet, allowing the Company to continue to provide the highest fleet redundancy and reliability in the FSS industry. Although designated a back-up satellite, the powerful all C-band spacecraft is designed to deliver digital video programming, high-definition television (HDTV), VOD and IPTV service throughout the continental U.S.

“Today’s successful launch of Galaxy 14 expands PanAmSat’s position as the leader in U.S. programming delivery. It gives PanAmSat’s customers another powerful satellite capable of supporting such advanced services as HDTV, VOD and IPTV,” said Joe Wright, chief executive officer of PanAmSat. “While we are constantly identifying growth opportunities such as providing additional satellite capacity over the U.S. through the Horizons-2 agreement with JSAT and last month’s entry into Europe with the acquisition of Europe*Star, we feel it is of equal importance to back-up our state-of-the-art fleet. Galaxy 14 is a dynamic, next-generation spacecraft designed to meet the needs of tomorrow.”

Located at 125 degrees west longitude in the U.S. cable arc, Galaxy 14 joins the first and largest cable neighborhood of satellites in the Unites States. PanAmSat supports the industry’s leading high-definition neighborhood-Galaxy HD-from these satellites. PanAmSat is committed to maintaining its leadership position in the transmission of HD programming.

Galaxy 14 will also be an additional satellite supporting PanAmSat’s “Power of Five” antenna program, which provides qualified cable operators with simultaneous access to five Galaxy neighborhood satellites. Built and custom-designed for PanAmSat by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Galaxy 14 is a 1790-kilogram Star 2 Bus model satellite with 24, 36-MHz C-band transponders. It is the second in a series of three C-band satellites being constructed by Orbital Sciences for PanAmSat. The satellite will put out more than double the power of its predecessors, ready to play a pivotal role in the complete digital delivery of programming in the U.S. that is mandated by the FCC.

Among Galaxy 14’s highlights are:

  • PanAmSat’s 14th satellite for the United States, the 24th in its fleet.

  • Additional satellite in the Galaxy fleet, giving PanAmSat the most redundancy of any FSS operator.

  • Part of PanAmSat’s coveted U.S. Galaxy cable neighborhoods.

  • Available coverage from any slot in the domestic arc from 74 degrees west longitude to 133 degrees west longitude, including Hawaii and Alaska as the slots move further west.

  • Advanced bus architecture with flight-proven hardware that offers increased downlink power at the edge of the coverage pattern.

  • PanAmSat’s 13th consecutive successful launch

The Arianespace launch was an international effort using the Russian man-rated Soyuz rocket. This is the 14th mission for Starsem which has been responsible for Soyuz marketing and operation since its inception in 1996. Starsem’s shareholders are Arianespace, EADS, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and the Samara Space Center.

About PanAmSat

Through its owned and operated fleet of 24 satellites, PanAmSat (NYSE: PA – News) is a leading global provider of video, broadcasting and network distribution and delivery services. It transmits 1,991 television channels worldwide and, as such, is the leading carrier of standard and high-definition signals. In total, the Company’s in-orbit fleet is capable of reaching over 98 percent of the world’s population through cable television systems, broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home operators, Internet service providers and telecommunications companies. In addition, PanAmSat supports the largest concentration of satellite-based business networks in the U.S., as well as specialized communications services in remote areas throughout the world. For more information, visit the Company’s web site at http://www.panamsat.com.