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Successful launch for Ciel II satellite built by Thales Alenia Space

11 December 2008

Cannes, December 11, 2008 - The Ciel II satellite, of Canada's Ciel Satellite Group, was successfully launched today by International Launch Services (ILS) from the Baïkonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor of the spacecraft which will deliver service over North America at 129 degrees West longitude orbital position.

Based on the Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000 C4 design, Ciel II had 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. The spacecraft's payload power will be 10.6 kW for a lifetime of at least 15 years.

The worldwide market for HDTV is growing strongly with satellite remaining the dominant broadcast medium. Ciel II is the first multi-spot satellite dedicated to the North American DTH market to be built in Europe, reflecting the leadership of Thales Alenia Space in the development of innovative payload solutions.

"As a long-standing partner to SES and its affiliates, Thales Alenia Space is both honored and proud of its role in the continuing growth of the SES family of companies, said Reynald Seznec, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. He added: "We are looking forward to pursuing this successful partnership, and we hope to continue working with Ciel Satellite, SES, and Echostar for many years more".

Ciel II is the 1st Spacebus 4000 launched for Ciel Satellite, the 3rd launched for SES and its affiliates in the last two and half years (after AMC-12 and AMC-23), and it is the 8th satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for SES and its affiliates (after Sirius 2, Astra 1K, AMC-5, AMC-9, AMC-12, AMC-23 and AMC-21).

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 Satellite 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