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TS News - Echostar II Successfully Launched By Ariane




TELE-satellit News, 11 September 1996

TS News - Echostar II Successfully Launched By Ariane
  KOUROU, French Guiana, 96/09/10 (TS) -- An Ariane 42P rocket has
successfully lifted the Echostar II satellite into orbit from the European
Space Agency's launch facility in French Guiana. The satellite is the
company's second direct broadcasting satellite and will be used for digital
television services.

  "EchoStar II was successfully launched into a standard geostationary
transfer orbit tonight, providing us with another milestone of providing a
total of 200 audio and video channels for DISH Network," stated Charlie
Ergen, chairman and CEO, EchoStar Communications Corporation, from the
launch site.

  Echostar II is a Lockheed Martin series 7000 craft and carries a payload
of 16 ku-band transponders. It will be positioned at 119 degrees West from
where it will add extra channels to the Echostar DISH network DBS service.

   EchoStar II will include programming complementary to that offered by the
DISH Network on EchoStar I with expanded Pay-Per-View, sports, movies and
educational programming. In addition, EchoStar II will also begin testing
business television delivery and Internet applications.

  The company confirmed tonight that it will launch its third satellite,
EchoStar III, a Lockheed Martin AX2100, atop an Atlas IIAS from Cape
Canaveral, Florida, in the Fall of 1997.

(c)TELE-satellit 1996. All rights reserved.


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