Boeing

New Skies Selects High-Capacity Boeing 702 Satellite to Expand Its Fleet
Sea Launch Selected As NSS-8 Launch Provider; Option for Follow-On Satellites Also Announced

New Skies Satellites N.V. has placed an order with Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. (BSS), for its most capable satellite, the Boeing 702. This is the first BSS satellite to be procured by New Skies, an independent global satellite operator that was formed through the partial privatization of INTELSAT. BSS is the world's largest satellite manufacturer and is a unit of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA).

The NSS-8 satellite will be stationed at 105 degrees west longitude, a new orbital slot for New Skies. NSS-8 will deliver services that include broadcast television, Internet, multimedia and corporate data transmission for New Skies' customers in the Western Hemisphere as well as point-to-multipoint distribution of video to cable headends throughout the Americas. The NSS-8 contract includes options for up to two follow-on spacecraft. Sea Launch was selected as the launch provider under this delivery-in-orbit contract. The launch of NSS-8 is scheduled for 2003. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"The Boeing 702 is the most powerful satellite commercially available today and draws on a long and distinguished history in satellite manufacturing," said Robert W. Ross, New Skies Chief Executive Officer. "New Skies is delighted to add this state-of-the-art platform to its growing worldwide fleet of communications satellites."

The Boeing 702 satellite is the world leader in capacity, performance and cost-efficiency. BSS has so far launched four of these very capable spacecraft and has a total of 20 on order, including 12 firm orders and 8 options.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome New Skies Satellites into the family of BSS customers," said Randy Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite Systems. "By purchasing the Boeing 702, New Skies has opted for the ultimate in power and capability. This is a strategic new win for us, and NSS-8 will be a great match for New Skies' needs at this important new orbital slot."

NSS-8's payload will include 88 total operational transponders, with 46 in C-band, 42 in Ku-band and 16 spares. Four 25-cm xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) thrusters built by Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices, Inc., will perform orbit raising and stationkeeping duties. Advanced triple-junction gallium arsenide solar panels built by Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab, Inc., will deliver 17 kilowatts of total spacecraft power.

With five successful launches to date, Sea Launch is an established leader in the heavy-lift launch services business. Building on proven performance and flight-tested hardware, Sea Launch offers superior value, high performance and fully integrated launch services capabilities.

"The Sea Launch team is pleased to team with BSS in providing delivery-in-orbit services to New Skies Satellites," said Will Trafton, president of Sea Launch. "The demonstrated reliability of the Sea Launch system, coupled with launch assurance and flexibility, were key factors in this major procurement."

About New Skies Satellites

New Skies is a global satellite communications company with five satellites in geosynchronous orbit and ground facilities around the world. In addition to NSS-8, New Skies has two new satellites under construction, one due for launch in late 2001 over the Atlantic Ocean Region and the second in late 2002 over Asia. Headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and with offices in London, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, DC, New Skies is one of only three fixed satellite services companies with truly global satellite coverage. New Skies offers video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations and Internet service providers around the world. In line with its growth strategy, New Skies has secured rights to make use of six additional orbital positions and continues to broaden and diversify its customer base and to expand its provision of value added, bundled communications services.

By combining its satellite resources with terrestrial communications facilities, New Skies plans to provide a broadening range of state-of-the-art, value-added, high-quality satellite communications services. New Skies is listed on both the Euronext Amsterdam exchange and the NYSE (NSK).

Additional information is available at the New Skies web site.

About Boeing

Boeing Satellite Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of communications satellites and a major provider of space systems, satellites, and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications. Additional information is available at Boeing Satellite Systems.

The Boeing Company, headquartered in Seattle, is the largest aerospace company in the world and the United States' leading exporter. It is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, and the largest NASA contractor. The company's capabilities in aerospace also include rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries and manufacturing operations throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.

About Sea Launch

Sea Launch Company, LLC, is a global launch service serving a global marketplace. Headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., with operations based at Sea Launch Home Port in Long Beach Harbor, the multinational partnership provides commercial satellite customers the most direct and cost-effective route to geosynchronous orbit. With the advantage of a launch site on the Equator, the proven Zenit-3SL rocket can lift a heavier spacecraft mass or loft a payload into a higher perigee, offering maximum lift capacity for increased payload mass or extended spacecraft life.

Additional information is available at Sea Launch.

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For further information:
Elizabeth Hess
New Skies Satellites
31 70 306 4133
George Torres
Boeing Satellite Systems
(310) 364-5777
Paula Korn
Sea Launch Company
(562) 499-4729