HUGHES SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
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HUGHES' SATMEX 5 SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED FROM FRENCH GUIANA

KOUROU, French Guiana, Dec. 6, 1998 -- SATMEX 5, built by Hughes Space and Communications Company for Satmex of Mexico, was successfully launched here Saturday night. The satellite, a high-power HS 601 spacecraft, is the third-generation Hughes-built satellite to serve Mexico. It was the 10th launch of the year for Hughes.

The communications satellite was launched by Arianespace onboard an Ariane 42L vehicle at 9:42 p.m. in Kourou (4:42 p.m. PST, 00:42 Sunday GMT). The spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle about 20 minutes later. SATMEX 5's first signals were received about 38 minutes after separation at the Daan Mogot Telemetry, Tracking and Control Station near Jakarta, Indonesia, confirming normal operation.

SATMEX 5 is the third generation of Hughes satellites to serve Mexico. Hughes launched Mexico's first satellites, Morelos I and II, which were HS 376 spacecraft, in 1985. In 1993 and 1994 Solidaridad 1 and Solidaridad 2, HS 601 spacecraft, were launched.

SATMEX 5 will replace Morelos II at 116.8 degrees West longitude. With 10 times the payload power and double the operational life, SATMEX 5 will provide business communications, television distribution, and educational programming services to a region stretching from Canada to Patagonia.

SATMEX 5 features 7,000 watts of payload power and 48 transponders, 24 in C-band and 24 in Ku-band. The spacecraft also carries a xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS, for north-south stationkeeping. Hughes launched the first commercial XIPS in August 1997, and has since built three additional spacecraft that carry XIPS. Hughes also produced the ion engine that is the single source of propulsion for Deep Space 1, a NASA spacecraft launched Oct. 24.

Hughes Space and Communications Company, a unit of Hughes Electronics, is the world's leading manufacturer of geostationary commercial communications satellites, and is also a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the United States government. The ISO 9001 company is also a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan.

The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.

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