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Boeing-Built Communications Satellite Goes the Distance and Then Some

SEAL BEACH, Calif., May 13, 2002 -- A Boeing-built telecommunications satellite has provided 17 years of service to its customers on Earth, double its contract life.

The Boeing 376 satellite, built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) in El Segundo, Calif., was launched in 1985 and contracted to serve eight years. The Brasilsat A1 was recently de-orbited, but not before it became one of 93 Boeing-built satellites to outlast their contract life. A follow-up spacecraft, Brasilsat A2 was launched in 1986 and remains in service today for Star One, Embratel's subsidiary, covering North America.

Nearly half of all satellites built by BSS, the satellite manufacturing arm of Boeing Space and Communications a unit of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA], have surpassed their contract life.

"No other spacecraft manufacturer approaches this record of satellite longevity, " said Art Rosales, vice president of commercial programs for BSS. "This record proves that this is a superior satellite design. Since its introduction in 1977, we've made very few changes to convert that margin of service into something of value to the customer - more power and additional payload capability.

"Brasilsat A1's long life speaks volumes about the robustness and reliability of the Boeing 376. With 56 launched, we have a perfect on-orbit record, and because we built a lot of margin into the initial design, so far 31 Boeing 376 satellites - 55 percent - have outlasted their contract life."

BSS built the two Brasilsat A series spacecraft in the mid-1980s under a subcontract to Spar Aerospace of Canada for Brazil's national telecommunications provider Embratel. Brasilsat A1 became the first national communications satellite to operate in South America. After Brasilsat A1 served its contract life, Embratel leased the satellite to PanAmSat Corp., Wilton, Conn. With its antenna re-aimed at North America, Brasilsat A1 continued to generate revenue for PanAmSat until it was taken out of service in March 2002, more than 17 years after it was launched.

The first Boeing 376 satellite model was launched in 1980, and today the Boeing 376 is the world's second most purchased satellite after the Boeing 601. BSS can produce a Boeing 376 satellite in about 12-14 months. Due to its shorter manufacturing time compared to larger models, the Boeing 376 should "continue to fill a unique niche for customers who are getting into the business and need a smaller spacecraft, or for established operators who have a specific business opportunity for a specific region and need a satellite on a short schedule," Rosales said.

Boeing S&C, headquartered in Seal Beach, Calif., is the world's largest space and communications company. A unit of The Boeing Company, S&C provides integrated solutions in launch services, human space flight and exploration, missile defense, and information and communications. It is NASA's largest contractor; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; and a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The global enterprise has customers worldwide and manufacturing operations throughout the United States and Australia.

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BOEING SATELLITE SYSTEMS, INC.
Public Relations Department
P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323)
Los Angeles, CA 90009
Public Relations (310) 364-6363
www.boeing.com/satellite

Media points of contact:
Richard Esposito
310-335-6314
richard.esposito@boeing.com

Ann Beach
562-797-4222
ann.m.beach@boeing.com