Intelsat 17 Launch Successful; Strengthens Intelsat's Media Neighborhood at 66º East

LUXEMBOURG - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Intelsat S.A., the world's leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced today that Arianespace successfully launched the Intelsat 17 satellite (IS-17). The Ariane 5 vehicle lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 1:39 pm EST, followed by spacecraft separation and signal acquisition at approximately 2:06 pm EST.

Nine-satellite investment program

IS-17 is part of a nine-satellite investment program, 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, slated for launch in late first quarter 2011 and to be located at 33º E. This satellite will deliver new capacity for voice, wireless backhaul, Internet and media applications for customers serving Africa.

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world's leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat's satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.