EchoStar III Satellite Experiences Anomaly during Move

EchoStar Working to Reestablish Reliable Communications

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Aug 02, 2017, 16:01 ET

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) announced today that, during its move to a new orbital location last week, EchoStar III experienced an anomaly of unknown origin that has caused communications with the satellite to be interrupted and intermittent.

EchoStar III is a Ku-band BSS satellite that provided coverage over the U.S. The satellite, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, was launched in 1997 and has significantly exceeded its 15 year design life. It has been operating in an inclined orbit for more than three years.

"EchoStar has received FCC authority for its current flight configuration and we are working in cooperation with the satellite manufacturer to re-establish a reliable link in order to recover and retire the spacecraft," said Derek de Bastos, chief technology officer for EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C. "In spite of the anomaly, we believe that the current EchoStar III orbit does not present a significant risk to the operating satellites in the geostationary arc."

EchoStar III is owned by EchoStar and is a fully depreciated, non-revenue generating asset.

About EchoStar Satellite Services

EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C., a subsidiary of EchoStar Corp., is a world-class satellite operator with a fleet of 26 owned, leased and managed satellites. EchoStar Satellite Services delivers reliable and innovative solutions to the satellite industry, providing satellite communications infrastructure and services to media and broadcast organizations, pay-TV operators, enterprise customers and U.S. Government and military service providers. For more information, visit echostarsatelliteservices.com.

About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments.

For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.

SOURCE EchoStar Corporation