EMS Technologies' Montreal Space Division Awarded Advanced Antenna Contract For Hot Bird 8 Satellite


MONTREAL, Feb. 6, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) today announced that it has received a contract award from EADS Astrium for work on the Eutelsat Hot Bird 8 spacecraft.

The Hot Bird 8 satellite, the latest broadcasting satellite for Eutelsat, will be a Eurostar 3000 series satellite with 64 Ku-band transponders to provide video, radio, and data services from 13 degrees east longitude. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in early 2006. Hot Bird 8 will be Eutelsat's largest spacecraft, with a launch mass of 4,700 kilograms, a solar array span of 45 meters once deployed in orbit, and a spacecraft solar array power of almost 14 kW at end of life. It is scheduled to provide commercial services for a minimum of 15 years. Under the contract, valued at over $2 million, EMS will provide a top-floor, deck-mounted, Gregorian Ku-band antenna. To be delivered on a 15-month schedule, the antenna will provide coverage in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and builds upon a long heritage of similar antennas designed and built by EMS Technologies.

About EADS Astrium

EADS Astrium is wholly owned by EADS SPACE. In 2002 EADS SPACE had a turnover of EUR 2.2 billion and 12,300 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS Astrium's satellite business activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth Observation systems, Science and Navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment.

About Eutelsat

With capacity commercialized on 23 satellites that provide coverage from the Americas to the Pacific, Eutelsat S.A. is one of the world's leading satellite operators. Eutelsat's satellite infrastructure gives it the flexibility to offer direct-to-home broadcasting, video distribution and contribution services, corporate network solutions and a portfolio of IP applications including broadband Internet access and Internet backbone connections. From its strategic HOT BIRD orbital position at 13 degrees East and other orbital positions, Eutelsat's satellites broadcast more than 1,300 television and 800 radio stations and reach an overall audience of 107 million cable and satellite homes.

About EMS Technologies, Inc.

EMS Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of space, airborne and terrestrial wireless solutions, and focuses its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile information users. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, employs approximately 1,700 people worldwide, and has manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Ottawa, Montreal, and Brazil.

For more information, visit the company on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.



            

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