HUGHES SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
HUGHES SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
Public Relations Department
P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323)
Los Angeles, CA 90009
Media Relations (310) 364-6363
Investor Relations (310) 662-9688
www.hughespace.com		 HSC Logo


JSAT ORDERS 7TH SATELLITE FROM HUGHES

TOKYO, April 24, 2000 -- Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc., (HSCI) and JSAT Corporation have signed a contract for a new Hughes 601 model satellite, to be called JCSAT-8.

The new satellite will replace JCSAT-2, which has exceeded its contractual 10-year lifetime by a few months, enabling JSAT to provide its customers continued service at the orbital slot of 154 degrees East. The new satellite will carry 16 Ku-band amplifiers and 16 C-band amplifiers and will provide coverage to Japan, East Asia, Australia and Hawaii.

JSAT has ordered a total of seven satellites from Hughes since the late 1980s. The first two were Hughes 393 model spinning satellites, launched more than 10 years ago. The JCSAT-3 through 6 satellites are all Hughes 601 body-stabilized models, with twice the power of the spinning versions. Hughes also built JSAT's master control station in Yokohama and the backup station in Gunma.

"JSAT is our largest customer in Asia, and we value this repeat order," said HSC President and CEO Tig H. Krekel. "We appreciate the confidence JSAT has shown in HSC and its ability to deliver the satellite in 19 months."

JCSAT-8 is the latest in the popular Hughes 601 satellite line. With 77 ordered by customers around the world, it is the most-purchased commercial communications satellite model.

Hughes is the leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, having built nearly 40 percent of those in operation today. Hughes also supplies spacecraft for communications and space exploration to the U.S. government, and builds weather satellites for the United States and Japan. HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics, a unit of General Motors Corporation, are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE: GMH).

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