SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 1998 – International Launch Services (ILS) announced today that a combined Russian and American team is conducting final preparations to launch a Proton rocket on November 4 with PanAmSat Corporation’s PAS-8 communications satellite aboard. The rocket is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Republic of Kazakhstan at 10:12 a.m. (9:12 p.m. USA Pacific Standard Time, Nov. 3). The launch window is ten minutes long.

The three-stage Proton is produced by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center at its factory near Moscow. The fourth stage is built by RSC Energia, also near Moscow. The satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., and is based on its FS-1300 design.

This will be the third ILS commercial launch on Proton this year. All have been successful. PAS-8 is the second launch of a PanAmSat satellite on Proton following the successful launch of PAS-5 in August 1997. Once on orbit at 166 degrees East longitude, PAS-8 will provide advanced video and telecommunications services throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Notification of a successful launch will not occur until spacecraft separation, approximately 6 hours and 41 minutes after liftoff. Launch status updates will be available on the ILS launch hotline at 1-800-852-4980.

ILS is a joint venture stock company established in 1995 to market Proton and the Lockheed Martin Astronautics-built Atlas to the worldwide satellite launch market. ILS is owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation Commercial Launch Services and the Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International joint venture. ILS is headquartered in San Diego, Calif.