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Ciel II shipped to Baïkonour, Telecommunication Satellite built by Thales Alenia Space

12 November 2008

Cannes, November 12, 2008 - The Ciel II satellite, of the Ciel Satellite Group, has been delivered to the Baïkonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is ready to start its launch campaign for a Proton launch scheduled for the evening of December 10. Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor of the spacecraft which will be launched by International Launch Services (ILS) for service over CONUS (continental U.S.) and Canada at 129 degrees West longitude orbital position.

Based on Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000 C4, Ciel-2 has a launch mass of 5,592 kg and is fitted with 32 Ku-band frequencies, configured into regional and spot beams maximizing the frequency reuse up to nine times. At the end of its operational life, the spacecraft's payload power will be 10.6 kW for a life time of 15 years.

"For Thales Alenia Space, this delivery is a key achievement for its Spacebus telecommunication satellite range, as Ciel II is the first of the Spacebus C4 series, the most powerful of the family. We are pleased to help establish a second satellite operator in Canada, with the completion of the Ciel II satellite and its shipment to Baïkonour for launch next month," said Blaise Jaeger, Executive Vice President Telecommunication of Thales Alenia Space.

Ciel II is the 6th satellite ordered by the extended SES family of companies from Thales Alenia Space, five are currently operating in the AMERICOM fleet - AMC-5, AMC-9, AMC-12, AMC-23 and AMC-21. It will be the 16th launch for Thales Alenia Space-built spacecraft since the beginning of the year.

About Thales Alenia Space
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 design and manufacturing facilities in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

About Ciel Satellite
Ciel is a Canadian owned and controlled organization supported by a strong combination of partners, including: Borealis Infrastructure (part of the OMERS Pension Plan's group of companies); Canadian satellite pioneer Brian Neill; and SES AMERICOM, an SES S.A. Company (Luxembourg and Paris Stock Exchanges: SESG), a worldwide leader in the satellite industry.