Eutelsat Selects Astrium to Deliver W5A Satellite

Eutelsat Selects Astrium to Deliver W5A Satellite

To Drive up Capacity and Flexibility at 70.5 Degrees East

PARIS, June 30, 2010/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world's leading
satellite operators, announced today that it has selected Astrium to build a
48-transponder Ku-band satellite that will be located at its 70.5 degrees
East location in geostationary orbit. Scheduled for launch in fourth quarter
2012, the satellite will replace the W5 craft and more than double Eutelsat's
resources at 70.5 degrees East. It will be used for a range of professional
applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM
backhauling and professional video exchanges in Europe, Africa and Central
and South-East Asia.

Weighing in at five tonnes, W5A will be based on the Astrium Eurostar
E3000 platform with a designed in-orbit lifetime exceeding 15 years. Each of
the satellite's four high-performance fixed beams will be focused over a
distinct zone: Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South-East Asia reaching as
far as Australia. Through a high degree of on-board connectivity, clients
will be able to use the beams either for regional coverage or to interconnect
continents. This will support high-growth services that include secure
government communications in Central Asia through hubs located in the region
or in Europe, business networks between South-East Asia and Africa, and
direct connectivity between Europe and Australia.

Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO commented on the new satellite: "The
features of W5A underscore Eutelsat's commitment to optimising resources at
each orbital location and increasing the key feature of in-orbit flexibility
for customers. The 70.5 degrees East position sits at the crossroads of three
continents, enabling businesses and government agencies to carry out rapid,
efficient and scaleable connections between Europe, Africa and large parts of
Asia. We believe that the exceptionally high flexibility devised for W5A will
enable us to respond to the continued strong growth of professional
satellite-based services in all these markets. This contract also marks a new
milestone in our relationship with Astrium, a longstanding industrial partner
for Eutelsat, that will deliver a 19th satellite for our Group."

For Francois Auque, CEO of Astrium: "We are very pleased with this new
order from Eutelsat. We will deliver the KA-SAT satellite to Eutelsat later
this year, followed by ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 in 2011 and W5A in 2012. We look
forward to continuing the effective and fruitful co-operation that has been
developed between our two companies."

W5A is the 10th telecommunications satellite awarded to Astrium in the
past 18 months.

W5A forms part of Eutelsat's capital expenditure programme of an average
of 450 million euros per year for the period June 2009 to June 2012.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity
commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire
European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant
parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading
satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 March 2010, Eutelsat's
satellites were broadcasting more than 3,500 television channels. More than
1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13
degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in
Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a
wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution
markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service
Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's
broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed
internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve
enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and
its subsidiaries employ nearly 650 commercial, technical and operational
employees from 28 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

About Astrium

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing
civil and defence space systems and services. In 2009, Astrium had a turnover
of EUR4.8 billion and more than 15,000 employees in France, Germany, the
United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity
are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure,
Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and Astrium Services for
the development and provision of secure and commercial satcoms and networks,
high security satellite communications equipment, geo-information products
and services, and navigation services.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In
2009, EADS generated revenues of EUR42.8 billion and employed a workforce of
more than 119, 000.

http://www.astrium.eads.net

Source: Eutelsat Communications

For further information: Press: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, voconnor@eutelsat.fr; Frederique Gautier Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, fgautier@eutelsat.fr; Investors & Analysts: Lisa Sanders Finas, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-30-92, investors@eutelsat-communications.com. Contacts for the media: Daniel Mosely (Astrium GB) Tel.: +44(0)1-438-77-8180; Ralph Heinrich (Astrium D) Tel.: +49(0)89-607-33971; Mathias Pikelj (Astrium D) Tel.: +49(0)7545-8-9123; Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Tel.: +33(0)1-77-75-80-32; Francisco Lechon (Astrium SP) Tel.: +34-91-586-37-41

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