ASTRA 2C, a Boeing
601HP satellite, was successfully launched last night aboard a Proton
rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS).

Liftoff occurred at 7:49 a.m. local time from Baikonur, Kazakhstan
on June 16 (1:49 a.m. GMT; 6:49 p.m. PDT on June 15), and the
satellite’s first signals were received about seven hours later at
Sydney, Australia, confirming that systems are operating normally.
ASTRA 2C is the first of two satellites to be launched by BSS in one
week.

Built for Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) by Boeing
Satellite Systems (BSS), a unit of The Boeing Co., ASTRA 2C
is a high-power version of the Boeing 601 satellite, the most-often
purchased satellite model in the world.

“With this launch, Boeing has built and delivered a total of nine
spacecraft to SES,” said Randy Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite
Systems. “I think the fact that SES returns to Boeing repeatedly is a
testament to our technology and to Boeing’s continuing commitment to
SES. We congratulate them on this newest addition to their fleet.”

“This 12th consecutive ASTRA launch success is the result of a
track-proven, highly professional collaboration between ILS’
U.S.-Russian satellite launch experts, Boeing’s satellite
manufacturing specialists, and SES’ own dedicated technical team, all
of which deserve to be thanked for their efforts. Their combined
know-how and flawless teamwork has once again ensured that Proton has
served ASTRA right up to expectations,” stated Romain Bausch, director
general and chairman of the Management Committee of SES.

ASTRA 2C is designed to be positioned at either 19.2 or 28.2
degrees East longitude and has a contractual service life of 15 years.
The satellite will provide pan-European coverage and features 40
Ku-band transponders, 32 active at beginning of satellite life and 28
at end. The flexible ASTRA 2C payload design makes it possible to
select 32 frequency channels out of a total possible of 56 at any
time. In orbit, the 85-foot-long spacecraft will weigh approximately
5,500 pounds. With both single- and dual-junction gallium arsenide
solar cells on the satellite, ASTRA 2C is an 8,500-kilowatt satellite.

The SES Group operates a satellite services network providing
seamless broadband communications spanning four continents. Based in
Luxembourg, Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A. (Luxembourg Stock
Exchange: SES; Frankfurt Exchange: SDSL) is the operator of ASTRA,
Europe’s leading direct-to-home Satellite System, and a strategic
shareholder in premier satellite operations like AsiaSat (34.10%),
NSAB in Scandinavia (50%), and Star One in Latin America (19.99%).

BSS is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial
communications satellites and a major provider of space systems,
satellites and payloads for national defense, science and
environmental applications.

The Boeing Co. , with headquarters in Seattle, is the
largest aerospace company in the world and the United States’ leading
exporter. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial
jetliners and military aircraft, and the largest NASA contractor. The
company’s capabilities in aerospace also include rotorcraft,
electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch
vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems. The
company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries
and manufacturing operations throughout the United States, Canada and
Australia.