Intelsat 16 Launch Successful; Offers Expanded Capacity for DTH Services in Latin America

12 February 2010

Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced today that International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched the Intelsat 16 satellite (IS-16). The Proton Breeze M vehicle lifted off from Kazahkstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome at 7:39 p.m. ET yesterday, 11 February, followed by spacecraft separation and signal acquisition over nine hours later at approximately 5:14 a.m. ET this morning.

The satellite, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, will provide expansion capacity for SKY Mexico’s direct-to-home services, including High Definition programming. In addition, IS-16 will be available to provide backup capacity for SKY Brazil.

“The IS-16 satellite, at 58° W, expands Intelsat’s Latin American direct-to-home platform,” said Dave McGlade, Intelsat CEO. “We thank the skilled engineering and operations teams of ILS, Khrunichev, Orbital and Intelsat for a successful mission.”

IS-16 is the first Intelsat launch of 2010, and the third in an 11-satellite investment campaign, the largest in Intelsat’s history. The investment program is expected to provide enhanced high-powered capacity to Intelsat’s global fleet. Intelsat’s next launch is expected to be the Intelsat New Dawn satellite, which will deliver new capacity for voice, wireless backhaul, Internet and media applications for customers serving Africa.