CAPE CANAVERAL Air Station, Fla., Sept. 23, 1999 – A Lockheed Martin Astronautics Atlas IIAS rocket successfully launched EchoStar V, a commercial communication satellite that will be operated by EchoStar Communications Corp. based in Littleton, CO. The satellite was placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit after a 2:02 a.m. EDT liftoff from Complex 36, Pad A. It was the third successful Atlas launch of 1999 from Cape Canaveral Air Station and the 44th consecutive successful flight of Atlas.

The Atlas IIAS, designated AC-155 for the EchoStar V mission, is one of two Atlas II family configurations presently launching satellites for commercial and government customers worldwide. The Atlas II series, including the II, IIA and IIAS, has achieved 100 percent operational success since the introduction of each launch vehicle.

EchoStar V was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, CA, based on its 1300 design. Once in final orbit at 110 degrees West, EchoStar V will enable EchoStar’s DISH Network to expand direct-to-home television broadcasting services to its consumers.

Atlas and the Centaur upper stage are built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics at facilities in Denver, CO; Harlingen, TX; and San Diego, CA. Major suppliers to the Atlas program include Rocketdyne, a division of Boeing North American, located in Canoga Park, CA, Atlas MA-5A engine; Pratt & Whitney, located in West Palm Beach, FL, Centaur upper stage RL-10 engines; Honeywell Space Systems of Clearwater, FL, inertial navigation unit; Thiokol Propulsion, Brigham City, UT, Castor IVA solid rocket boosters; and Marconi Integrated Systems, an Diego, CA, avionics units.

Launch operations were provided by Lockheed Martin Astronautics at its Cape Canaveral Air Station Complex 36 facility. Astronautics is one of the operating elements of the corporation’s Space and Strategic Missiles Sector headquartered in Bethesda, MD. Mission management was provided by International Launch Services, San Diego, CA, formed in 1995 to jointly market launch services on Atlas and the Russian-built Proton launch vehicles.