* Astronomy

MEASAT Satellite Systems, of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has signed a contract with Orbital Sciences to purchase one GEO comsat.
The satellite, which will be based on Orbital's industry-leading STAR satellite platform, will be called MEASAT-1R and will be launched into a Malaysian orbital slot at 91.5 degrees East Longitude over Southeast Asia. The launch is scheduled for September 2007.

"Once again, our smaller-sized STARTM GEO satellite platform has proved to be the right fit for an important satellite operator in Asia. We are delighted to add MEASAT to the list of blue-chip customers who have recognized the benefits of small satellites and adopted the ‘STAR small-satellite solution.’" - Dr. Ali Atia, head of Orbital’s commercial GEO satellite business unit.

"The MEASAT 91.5 degrees E orbital location is developing into one of the region's premier satellite slots, with more than two million antennas now focused on the existing MEASAT-1 satellite. Our decision to procure MEASAT-1R shows our commitment to support our customers' expanding requirements for high-quality, high-powered satellite capacity. Orbital, with a strong track record of delivering reliable spacecraft to schedule, was a clear choice for us" - Mr. Tun Hanif, MEASAT Satellite Systems.

The new satellite will carry 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band active transponders along with three antennas. The satellite will serve C-band markets throughout the region with a global beam, and Ku-band beams will serve direct-to-home broadcasting markets in Malaysia and Indonesia. The satellite will generate approximately 3.6 kilowatts of payload power.

This is the fourth commercial communications satellite order received by Orbital this year. Other operators who have chosen the company’s STAR GEO platform in 2005 include PanAmSat (NYSE: PA), which purchased the hybrid C- and Ku-band PAS-11 satellite in April and the Horizons-2 satellite in August as part of a joint venture with JSAT Corporation (Tokyo: JSAT). In addition, Norway’s Telenor Broadcast Services (OBX: Tel/Nasdaq: TELN) ordered the THOR II-R Ku-band satellite from Orbital in September.

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