COMSAT Wins Contract to Support United StatesAntarctic Program; Agreement Will Provide Satellite...

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2000

COMSAT General, a subsidiary of COMSAT Corporation, announced today that it has signed an agreement to provide satellite data communications to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station located at the

The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, SC signed the agreement, on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The contract is for one year and includes four one-year options, with the potential for service through May 2005.

The communications services to be performed by COMSAT will supplement coverage provided by several other government satellites, and is expected to significantly improve the quality of communications for the scientists and staff working in the physical isolation of the South Pole.

The additional satellite data communications provided under this agreement will enable scientists to transfer, rapidly and efficiently, the large amounts of scientific data gathered each day in the year-round research performed at the South Pole. The additional satellite service is one of several electronics and communications improvements being made at the South Pole Station.

The location of the Amundsen-Scott Station at the earth's axis allows for long-term astronomical observations impossible anywhere else on the earth. Also, the unique geographic and climatic conditions - which include high altitude, extreme cold and very dry air - make the station an unparalleled platform for astronomy and astrophysics.

The research includes studies probing the early history of the universe, as well as the study of space weather, sunspots, solar winds and upper atmospheric (ozone layer) research.

The agreement is the second part of a two-phase project. The first phase began in February with the relocation by COMSAT General of the MARISAT- F2 satellite to a new geosynchronous orbit location over the Atlantic Ocean where it can support the data communications requirements of the NSF South Pole Station. This repositioning is expected to be complete by the end of August.

MARISAT F-2, launched October 14, 1976, is the last of the three dual-payload satellites designed for use by the U.S. Navy and the commercial shipping industry. It is the oldest commercial communications satellite in the world still in service. The three-satellite MARISAT system served as the initial Inmarsat space configuration.

To enable service with the South Pole over the MARISAT F-2, COMSAT will use the satellite gateway facilities located at its teleport in Clarksburg, Md. The gateway and antenna will support two-way data rates in excess of 2 Mbps for U.S.-to-South Pole communications needs.

"COMSAT was chosen because we have the technical capabilities and the expertise to support fully the unique communications needs of the Amundsen-Scott research station," said John Klingelhoeffer, vice president and general manager of COMSAT General. "Our service will be used in concert with other satellites to supplement the critical communications links to the South Pole and will provide scientists with worldwide access to scientific data, the Internet, as well as operational and technical communications with NSF facilities in the U.S."

COMSAT General is a wholly owned subsidiary of COMSAT Corporation and provides satellite-based communications services for commercial, government and international organizations. COMSAT Corporation (NYSE:CQ), headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a leading provider of global satellite services and digital networking services, products, and technology.