3 Concurrent Campaigns Under Way

Three versions of the distinguished Atlas rocket are on their
stands in preparation for the next few space missions planned by
International Launch Services (ILS).

The vehicles are Atlas IIA, Atlas IIIB and Atlas V, all built by
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. ILS, based in McLean, Va., is a
joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and two Russian
companies, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and
RSC Energia. ILS markets and manages the missions for the Atlas and
the Russian Proton launch vehicles.

The Atlas vehicle family is entering its ninth year with 100
percent success, boasting a string of 58 launches.

“As the result of our marketing efforts over the last several
years, ILS has lined up a robust manifest for 2002,” said President
Mark Albrecht. “We are very excited to be using all variants of the
Atlas rocket this year for our customers, who include the world’s
major satellite operators.”

First up is the Atlas IIIB, standing on Cape Canaveral’s Launch
Complex 36B. It will carry a DBS satellite for Echostar Communications
Corp. next week as mission AC-204. This is the first Atlas IIIB
version to be flown, and the second launch in the next-generation
series that encompasses the Atlas III & Atlas V. The Atlas III can
lift payloads up to 9,920 pounds (4,500 kg), using a powerful,
Russian-developed RD-180 engine with variable thrust control.

Next is the Atlas IIA, on Pad 36A. It is set to lift a Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-I) for NASA in early March for mission
AC-143. ILS and Atlas IIA launched TDRS-H in July 1999; TDRS-J is set
for this fall.

Across the Cape at Launch Complex 41, the first Atlas V was
erected in its Vertical Integration Facility last week. Later this
month, it will be moved to the launch pad for the first of three
full-scale rehearsals for the inaugural mission, AV-001, set for May.
The payload will be Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD(TM) 6 broadcast and multimedia
satellite.

The Atlas V family is designed to lift payloads up to 19,000
pounds (nearly 8,700 kg) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
Lockheed Martin developed it both for ILS commercial missions and to
meet the U.S. Air Force requirements for the Evolved Expendable Launch
Vehicle (EELV) program.

The Atlas V incorporates state-of-the-art designs, materials and
processes, including the RD-180 engine, most of which have been
flight-proven on the Atlas III.

Between the TDRS and HOT BIRD missions, ILS plans to launch one or
two commercial satellites with the Proton rocket. Those campaigns will
be conducted at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Like previous
ILS missions, these will use the Proton K version with the Block DM
upper stage, which can lift as much as 9,590 pounds (4,350 kg) to GTO.

ILS partner Khrunichev also conducts missions for the Russian
government. One of those federal flights last year was the successful
debut of the upgraded Proton M rocket with its Breeze M upper stage;
that vehicle can lift 12,120 pounds (5,500 kg) to GTO, with further
enhancements in development.

ILS offers the broadest range of launch services in the world
along with products with the highest reliability in the industry. ILS’
Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed
Martin Space Systems Company-Astronautics Operations at facilities in
Denver, Colo.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif.

The three-stage Proton and the Breeze M upper stage are assembled
by Khrunichev at its plant near Moscow. The alternative Block DM upper
stage is built by Energia, also near Moscow. For more information,
visit www.ilslaunch.com.