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
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SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF HUGHES-BUILT TDRS-H

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 30, 2000 -- TDRS-H, the first of three new Hughes-built next generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, was successfully launched this morning aboard an Atlas IIA rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT, and TDRS-H's first signals were received 36 minutes later at the Air Force Control Facility from the island of Diego Garcia located in the Indian Ocean. Ten minutes later, the first primary pass was received by controllers at the Canberra, Australia ground station, confirming that systems are operating normally. The next major milestone, the unfurling of the spacecraft's 15-foot antennas, was successfully completed at 1:51 p.m. EDT.

TDRS-H, with its innovative "spring back" folding antennas, will augment NASA's existing TDRS fleet, and will enhance the communications capacity between orbiting spacecraft and Earth. The Hughes 601 model will provide real-time communication links with the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and numerous other Earth-orbiting spacecraft. The high-speed two-way relay communications are possible through its payload of S-band, Ku-band and Ka-band. When fully operational, TDRS-H will be capable of a data rate up to 800 megabits per second (Mbps) on the Ka-band single access return channels--more than double the current maximum data rate.

TDRS-H, with a contracted 11-year mission life, will be deployed into a geosynchronous orbit above the Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft will provide nearly continuous communication links with controllers and researchers on the ground. Her sister satellites, TDRS-I and -J, will be launched in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

When fully deployed, the TDRS-H satellite measures 68 feet, 10 inches in length and 43 feet, five inches in width. At beginning of life, TDRS-H's weight on orbit will be 3918 pounds. On-orbit power derives from two wings covered with silicon solar cells that generate 2300 watts. A nickel-hydrogen battery supplies payload power during eclipses.

HSC is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, having built nearly 40 percent of those in operation. It also is a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S. government, and a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan. HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation, the world's leading provider of digital television entertainment, and satellite and wireless systems and services. 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). More information about Hughes Electronics can be found at its web site at www.hughes.com.

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