Kourou, French Guiana, Nov. 13, 2000 -- The most powerful communications satellite built to date, 17.5-kW Anik F1 satellite built for Telesat Canada, is scheduled for launch on Nov. 20, 2000 on an Ariane rocket from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. The 30-minute launch window opens at 3:56 PST, (6:56 EST and 23:56 GMT).

This will be the third launch in 33 days for Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc., the company formed when The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) purchased Hughes Space and Communications Company last month. This is the company's tenth launch for the year.

"Anik F1 is the first Boeing 702 to join the Telesat Canada fleet and is the largest capacity satellite we've built to date," stated Tig H. Krekel, President of Boeing Satellite Systems. "We built the first Telesat satellite nearly 30 years ago and this newest generation reflects the integration of decades of experience. Anik F1 offers 15 times the power and almost four times the capacity of those first generation models, " Krekel added. "Our tradition of setting precedents continues."

"We look forward to the successful launch and deployment of Anik F1, Telesat's sixth-generation of geostationary satellites," said Larry Boisvert, Telesat Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Anik F1 is crucial for the provision of continuity of service for Canada and new areas, such as the Americas. With Anik F1, Telesat is moving from being a purely domestic service provider to one that serves all of the Americas - from the northern borders of Canada to the southern-most tip of South America."

Anik F1 takes full advantage of the technological advances incorporated into the Boeing 702 model spacecraft. The powerful 17.5-kilowatt satellite will operate in geosynchronous orbit at 107.3 degrees West longitude. To generate such high power, the two five-panel solar wings employ high-efficiency dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells developed by Spectrolab, another Boeing company. When fully deployed, the wings span 132.5 feet.

The Anik F1 payload consists of 84 transponders providing broadcast services to North America, and telecommunications, Internet services and broadcast services to South America. The Ku-band carries 48 active transponders with 115-watt traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) and the C-band carries 36 active transponders with 40-watt TWTAs.

Two nadir antennas will provide Ku- and C-band coverage for South America. Services to North America in Ku-band will be provided by one west antenna, and in C-band by one east antenna. When fully deployed, the spacecraft measures 29.5 feet in width. At liftoff, Anik F1 will weigh 10,384 pounds. Once on orbit, the satellite will weigh 6,647 pounds.

Standard on the Boeing 702 is the advanced xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS^TM), which provides ten times greater efficiency than conventional liquid bipropellant fuel systems. Four 25-cm thrusters will provide Anik F1's on-orbit maneuvering during the satellite's 15 years of contracted life. Telesat, Canada's national satellite communications company, and Boeing Satellite Systems, formerly Hughes Space and Communications Company, have a long history of success working together, dating back to the early 1970s when Hughes built Telesat's first satellites, the Anik A series. Later, Hughes built Telesat's Anik C series, as well as the Anik D satellites in cooperation with Canada's Spar Aerospace in the 1980s. The name "Anik" is taken from the Inuit language, and means "little brother."

Earlier this year, Telesat Canada ordered its second Boeing 702 satellite, Anik F2. Anik F2 will offer fixed satellite services, including Internet access and multimedia services, across North America using 108 active transponders, 52 of them in Ka-band, following its launch in late 2002.

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