Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | MSV, Sea Launch contract to launch satellite

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MSV, Sea Launch contract to launch satellite
SEA LAUNCH NEWS RELEASE
Posted: May 15, 2007

RESTON, Va. - Mobile Satellite Ventures LP and joint venture partner Mobile Satellite Ventures (Canada) announced today that MSV has contracted with Sea Launch Company, LLC, for the launch in 2010 of one of two high-powered, next-generation satellites, designed to provide seamless, transparent and ubiquitous broadband wireless coverage of North and Central America to consumer electronic devices.

"This launch will complete the space segment of MSV's new integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network," said Alexander H. Good, MSV Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. "We have teamed with a world-class provider who combined a fair price and program flexibility, allowing us to deliver ahead of our regulatory milestones."

"MSV is further demonstrating the industry's confidence in our team and our system," said Rob Peckham, President and General Manager of Sea Launch. "This commitment represents a significant milestone for us."

Sea Launch plans to launch the MSV spacecraft on a Zenit-3SL vehicle from a site on the Equator near the island of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean.

"Our new spacecraft will usher in a new era in integrated satellite-terrestrial communications where consumers throughout North America can enjoy broadband services at lower costs per bit with the flexibility to support a range of custom IP applications," Mr. Good said.

The two new MSV satellites, under construction by The Boeing Company, will operate in geostationary orbit over North America from 101 degrees and 107.3 degrees west longitude. The satellites feature 22-meter diameter, elliptical mesh reflectors that will support L-band communication with conventional handsets through a network based on MSV's patented ancillary terrestrial component technology.

About Mobile Satellite Ventures LP and SkyTerra Communications, Inc.

Today, MSV satellites MSAT-1 and MSAT-2 deliver mobile wireless voice and data services to approximately 200,000 units primarily for public safety, security, fleet management and asset tracking in the U.S. and Canada. MSV is developing a hybrid satellite-terrestrial communications network, which it expects will provide seamless, transparent and ubiquitous wireless coverage of the United States and Canada to conventional handsets. MSV holds the first FCC license to provide hybrid satellite-terrestrial services. MSV plans to launch two satellites for coverage of the United States and Canada, which are expected to be among the largest and most powerful commercial satellites ever built. When completed, the network is expected to support communications in a variety of areas including public safety, homeland security, aviation, transportation and entertainment, by providing a platform for interoperable, user-friendly and feature-rich voice and high-speed data services. MSV is majority owned and controlled by SkyTerra Communications, Inc. (OTCBB:SKYT).

About Sea Launch Company, LLC

The Sea Launch Company, LLC, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., provides heavy lift launch services to the commercial communications satellite market. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or provide longer life on orbit, yielding best value plus schedule assurance. Sea Launch offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit.