PAS-10, a Boeing 601HP
satellite, was successfully launched last night aboard a Proton
rocket.

Liftoff occurred at 7:11 a.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on
May 15, (1:11 a.m. GMT on May 15/6:11 p.m. PDT on May 14), and the
satellite’s first signals were received about six-and-a-half hours
later at Hartebeesthoek in South Africa, confirming that systems are
operating normally.

PAS-10, built for PanAmSat Corp. by Boeing Satellite
Systems (BSS), a unit of The Boeing Co. , is the sixth Boeing
satellite delivered to PanAmSat in 17 months.

“The launch of PAS-10 enables PanAmSat to meet its goals for
international satellite services, and we congratulate them on meeting
this important milestone,” said Randy Brinkley, president of Boeing
Satellite Systems. “By the end of summer, PanAmSat will have more than
900 transponders providing satellite-based video and data broadcasting
services. BSS is proud of its role in helping PanAmSat to achieve this
milestone.”

The PAS-10 spacecraft will provide international services to Asia,
Africa, the Middle East and Europe from 68.5 degrees East longitude.
PAS-10 operates with a total of 48 active transponders, 24 in C-band
and 24 in Ku-band. At time of launch, PAS-10 weighed 8,314 pounds
(3,772 kilograms).

PanAmSat is the world’s premier provider of global video and data
broadcasting services via satellite. Operating a global network of 21
in-orbit spacecraft and seven technical facilities, the company
delivers entertainment and information to cable television systems, TV
broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home TV operators, Internet service
providers, telecommunications companies and corporations worldwide.
PanAmSat will expand its global fleet to 22 spacecraft by year-end
2001.

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.