HUGHES SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
Communications and Customer Relations
P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323)
Los Angeles, CA 90009
(310) 364-6363
www.hughespace.com


HUGHES SATELLITE RETIRED AFTER ACHIEVING 180 PERCENT DESIGN LIFE (photo)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 1998 -- Anik C2, the fourth of five HS 376 satellites built and launched by Hughes Space and Communications Company for Telesat Canada, was gracefully deorbited last month after 14 years, 6 months and 19 days of round-the-clock telecommunications service.

Anik C2 was launched on the Space Shuttle on June 18, 1983, and joined the first Anik C satellite in providing expanded telecommunications services to Canada. Anik C2, an HS 376 spin-stabilized spacecraft model, was designed to provide at least 8 years of service. When the final commands to switch off the satellite's telemetry were issued Jan. 7, Anik C2 had not only completed its intended service life, but had lived an additional 6.5 years, an increase of 80 percent.

Hughes, the world's largest manufacturer of geostationary commercial communications satellites has more than 880 years of in-orbit experience. Approximately 95 percent of Hughes' satellites exceed their service life, with an average channel availability over life of 99.6 percent.

In the Anik HS 376 series alone, the fleet of five satellites has exceeded its contractual lifetime by more than 21 years. The two Anik D and three Anik C spacecraft have a combined lifetime of 61.5 orbital years, with an average life of 12.3 years.

And Anik C1, the last Anik C satellite to be launched, is still operational. Launched April 12, 1985, it is scheduled for retirement in 2002.

"These Anik satellites have joined those other HS 376 models which have attained at least 13 years in productive service," said Robert I. Selin, manager of Customer Support at Hughes. "A total of 48 HS 376 satellites have been launched to date, and these have a combined service life of nearly 400 years of service, 90 years beyond their contract lifetime commitment. And it grows every day."

Anik C originally focused four transmit beams to provide regional coverage to the more densely populated southern portions of Canada. In June 1993, Anik C2 was leased to provide service over southern Argentina. The satellite was repositioned from 110 degrees West longitude to 78.5 degrees West longitude, and its round antenna was turned down to cover the south part of the country. Due to the tilt of the antenna, the pattern was altered, causing elongation north-south and compression east-west. The resulting antenna pattern permitted occasional coverage as far north as Buenos Aires and allowed coverage of the northern regions of the South Pole, where a research station on Antarctica was able to use Anik C2 for communications. The satellite was returned to Canada and resumed service there in March 1997.

Under a separate contract, Hughes also built the Anik A series of three HS 333 satellites. The first, Anik A1, was launched Nov. 9, 1972, and, using then-new Hughes antenna technology, became the world's first national communications satellite.

Hughes Space and Communications Company is the world's leading manufacturer of geostationary commercial communications satellites, and is also a major supplier of spacecraft for communications and space exploration to the U.S. government and a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan. It is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.

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