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HUGHES' 10th NAVY UFO SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED (photo)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 23, 1999 -- The U.S. Navy's UHF Follow-On F-10 satellite, built by Hughes Space and Communications Company (HSC), was successfully launched here late last night. The HS 601 spacecraft is the 10th in the series that Hughes has built for the Navy.

The communications satellite was launched by International Launch Services onboard an Atlas IIA vehicle at 11:06 p.m. EST (8:06 p.m. PST, 04:06 GMT Nov. 23). The spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle 27 minutes later. UFO F-10's first signals were received about 8 minutes after separation, confirming normal operation.

UFO F-10 is the third in the series to carry a global broadcast service (GBS) payload. The satellite also carries the baseline narrowband UHF and protected EHF payloads. The satellite will be used to support the DoD's communication requirements, which range from mobile communications to intelligence dissemination and quality-of-life programming.

UFO F-10 is the 51st HS 601 model to be launched. HSC is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, and is also a a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S. government. HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Hughes Electronics is 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).



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