Deliveries of the first two satellites are scheduled for mid- and late-2009, respectively. In addition to the two satellites that Orbital will immediately begin constructing, the contract gives SES Americom the option to order up to three more identical satellites over the next few years.

The AMC-5R and the identical ground spare spacecraft will be hybrid satellites, each carrying 24 active C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders of 36 MHz capacity each. Some of the channels in each band will also be cross-strapped, enabling new service capability. Each spacecraft will generate approximately five kilowatts of payload power and will have two deployable reflectors.

"Orbital is very proud to have been selected by SES Americom for this highly significant order," said Mr. Carl Marchetto, the company's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group. "Our entire team is eager to demonstrate that SES Americom's trust and confidence in our product and our people is well placed."

"After an intensive review of the available products on the market that address our fleet planning requirements, we determined that Orbital's STAR satellite offered just the right balance between performance, capacity and cost, with an aggressive but achievable delivery schedule," said Mr. Jim Ducay, SES Americom's Chief Operating Officer. "We are moving forward with the replacement of AMC-5 to add capacity and flexibility enabling new service developments and enhancements."

Orbital's commercial satellite business has experienced rapid growth over the past several years. Including the new SES Americom order, the company currently has 12 commercial GEO spacecraft in various stages of design, production and testing at its Dulles, VA satellite manufacturing facility. To accommodate this growth, earlier this year Orbital completed an expansion of its manufacturing plant that, together with other facility improvements, has increased its manufacturing throughput capacity by over 30% as compared to one year ago.

Mr. Mike Larkin, Orbital's Senior Vice President of its Space Systems Group, who was instrumental in securing and negotiating the new contract with SES Americom, summarized the significance of the new order, stating, "This new contract for the AMC-5R and ground spare satellites greatly expands Orbital's relationship with the SES Global family of satellite services companies.

"With SES Americom's AMC-21 platform and SES New Skies' NSS-9 spacecraft, which were ordered last year, now well along in their design and manufacturing phases, we are delighted to be able to play an expanded role in SES Global's spacecraft fleet strategy for the future."

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