SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), will launch its new satellite ASTRA 1KR on an Atlas V rocket from International Launch Services (ILS), a Lockheed Martin joint venture (NYSE:LMT). The launch is scheduled for April 2006 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is the first Atlas mission for SES ASTRA, which is a longtime customer of ILS. ILS markets launch services on Lockheed Martin’s Atlas rocket and the Khrunichev-built Proton vehicle to satellite operators worldwide.

ASTRA 1KR is one of two ASTRA satellites scheduled for launch next year, with ASTRA 1L scheduled for the fourth quarter 2006. ASTRA 1KR will join the seven ASTRA satellites currently co-positioned at the prime orbital position 19.2° East. It will operate as a replacement satellite for existing capacity at this position allowing the redeployment of existing resources within SES ASTRA’s unique redundancy and customer security scheme. The ASTRA 1KR mission is scheduled for an Atlas V-411 vehicle.

Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer, said: “It is the first time that SES ASTRA has chosen an Atlas rocket for the launch of a new satellite. Thanks to the great experience that other SES companies have had with Atlas and our own long term relationship with the ILS team, we are confident that the launch of ASTRA 1KR will be successful.”

ILS President Mark Albrecht said, “We are pleased that SES ASTRA is joining the many successful Atlas customers. Since mid-1993, the Atlas family has achieved 100 percent reliability, launching both government and commercial payloads.”

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