Cannes, November 14, 2007 – Thales Alenia Space announced today that it has signed a contract with Hispasat, a Spanish telecommunication satellite service provider, to design, manufacture, integrate and test an Interactive Multimedia Communication AMERHIS-2 Repeater to be embarked onboard the Amazonas-2 communication satellite. It is the second Thales Alenia Space multimedia repeater embarked onboard a Hispasat satellite. The AmerHis-2 Multimedia On Board Processor (OBP) will extend Hispasat’s current satellite communication capacity, providing high-performance interactive multimedia services to North America, South America and Europe. It will allow direct terminal-to-terminal (mesh) connectivity between user terminals to support real-time voice and video services, such as VoIP or videoconferencing.

Additionally, this second AmerHis system will allow the operator to use it as a back up or redundant solution in case of necessity, which will contribute to increase the viability and confidence of the current and future users.

As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space España - the Spanish subsidiary of Thales Alenia Space - will be in charge not only of the onboard processor but also of its associated ground control, comprising a Network Control Centre (NCC) to manage the overall system. The AmerHis-2 is scheduled to start commercial services in late 2009 on board the Amazonas-2 satellite built by EADS Astrium.

The AmerHis system is an innovative and tested solution of satellite broadband mesh communication based on a regenerative DVB-S/DVB-RCS processor. The first AmerHis payload was embarked on the Amazonas-1 satellite launched on August 5, 2004 and is already used by civilian and military customers for meshed communications services.

Angel Post, CEO of Thales Alenia Space España declared: "We are very pleased and proud as this contract reflects the trust placed in our company by HISPASAT, and the fruitful relation and leadership of both companies in the broadband satellite domain.” Angel Post also highlighted the good performance and reliability of the interactive services of the AmerHis Multimedia Communication System.

About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups’ “Space Alliance”. Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. The company has a total of 7,200 employees and 11 industrial sites, with locations in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Source: Thales Alenia Space