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Eutelsat awards W3B telecom satellite to Thales Alenia Space

26 February 2008

Cannes, February 26, 2008 - Thales Alenia Space announced today the signature of a contract with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world's leading satellite operators, to manufacture and deliver Eutelsat's W3B communications satellite.

As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space will be in charge of the design, manufacturing, test and delivery of the satellite. Planned for a launch during the second quarter 2010, W3B will provide broadcast and telecommunications services over Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Based on Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000C3 platform, the satellite will be colocated at 7° degrees East with Eutelsat's W3A satellite. Designed with a lifetime of more than 15 years, W3B will provide 3 Ka and 53 Ku-band transponders, will feature a maximum launch mass of 5.4 tons and will deliver more than 12 kW of electrical power at end of life. W3B will be equipped with 3 deployable and 2 fixed antennas.

"We are very pleased to have been selected once again by Eutelsat to provide this new powerful satellite" said Pascale Sourisse President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. "This new contract reinforces the long-lasting partnership that exists between our companies for more than 20 years as W3B is the 18th satellite ordered by Eutelsat from Thales Alenia Space."

W3B is the 16th Spacebus 4000 satellite ordered from Thales Alenia Space since the introduction of the new-generation platform, over 4 years ago.

About Thales Alenia Space
The European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups' "Space Alliance". Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. The company has a total of 7,200 employees and 11 industrial sites, with locations in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.