Ariane Winds GE-5 Launch

Ariane Wins GE-5 Launch
Spacebus 2000 on Eutelsat II

Washington DC - March 5, 1998 - The Ariane launcher has been selected to launch the GE-5 direct broadcast satellite in late 1998 for the U.S. company GE Americom, within the scope of a contract signed by Arianespace with Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH, a corporate unit of Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA, Munich).

With the support of its industrial partners Aerospatiale (France), Alenia Aerospazio (Italy) and Arianespace (Europe), DASA offered a complete package, combining the satellite, the launch slot and the launch services for a flight targeted for the fourth quarter of 1998. This enables GE Americom to ensure service continuity to its customers.

The GE-5 satellite, based on a SPACEBUS 2000 platform, is being built by an Aerospatiale-led industrial team at Aerospatiale's Cannes plant in Southern France. Weighing 1,760 kg (3,872 lb.) at liftoff, the GE-5 satellite will be equipped with 18 Ku-band transponders, rounding out GE Americom's direct TV broadcast coverage of the United States. The new satellite is compatible with both the ARIANE 4 and ARIANE 5 systems, and will be launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Commenting on this latest contract, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean- Marie Luton noted, ``The European Space industry came up with a quick, flexible solution to meet the customer's urgent need, offering a complete, proven package that combines the satellite, the launcher and the launch service. This became a possibility thanks to the excellent cooperation between Arianespace and its industrial partners.''

Prior to Flight 107, Arianespace has 41 satellites on order to be launched, worth an estimated 20.3 billion French francs or 3.4 billion US$. Flight 107 is now scheduled for March 20. An ARIANE 40 launch vehicle will be used to place into orbit the SPOT 4 earth observation satellite for the French space agency CNES.

GE Americom

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