Lockheed Martin's A2100 telecommunications satellite series and its Atlas V launch vehicle were recognized by Frost & Sullivan with awards for "Product of the Year" and "Achievement of the Year," respectively.

Calling it "the most reliable and efficient of its class," Frost & Sullivan recognized the Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems-built A2100 satellite platform for its "outstanding on-orbit reliability record since it was first offered in 1996." Frost & Sullivan presents the Satellite Market Product of the Year award for products that "demonstrate outstanding reliability and mission success and excel in technical efficiency and versatility. The product ranks higher in these areas than similar competitive products and demonstrates continued superiority."

Lockheed Martin's Atlas V, which celebrated its successful inaugural flight August 21, 2002, was singled out by Frost & Sullivan as the industry's most significant "Achievement of the Year." This award is given to a company for an achievement that defines its industry in terms of technical, strategic, leadership, sales or a combination of those hallmarks. The Atlas V program was recognized by Frost & Sullivan as an achievement which defined "a turning point in the industry and will influence the direction of the industry" in the years to come. "The successful launch of the Atlas V signals a new phase in the commercial launch industry as a brand new launch vehicle, one of the first truly significant space-related advances made in the United States in more than 20 years," noted Frost & Sullivan in its award.

"Lockheed Martin is honored to have been chosen to receive these prestigious awards," said Al Smith, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "It is a tribute to the talent and determination of our employees who have developed the A2100 and the Atlas V which enable us to achieve success for our customers. Such recognition is testimony to Lockheed Martin's commitment to developing reliable and capable systems which make a significant contribution to our customers' success and to the industry," added Smith.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, based in Newtown, Pa., markets, designs and builds the A2100 telecommunications satellite for customers worldwide. The A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft is designed to meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs ranging from Ka band/broadband services, fixed satellite services in a Ku-band payload configuration, to high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku-band frequency spectrum. The A2100's modular design features a reduction in parts, simplifying construction, increasing on-orbit reliability and reducing weight and cost.

Last year, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems successfully launch five satellites, four of which were the A2100 design built for customers worldwide, including EchoStar VII for EchoStar Orbital Corporation; NSS-6 and NSS-7 satellites for New Skies Satellites; and most recently, the launch of Nimiq 2 for Telesat Canada. The successful launch of Nimiq 2 represented the 21st consecutive successful launch of an A2100 spacecraft. The company now is gearing up for the launch of Rainbow, a high-power A2100 satellite for Cablevision Systems Corp. of Bethpage, N.Y. The satellite is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket later this year.

The Atlas V, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles at facilities near Denver, Colo., performed a flawless inaugural flight last August, heralding the advent of the next-generation launch system developed for the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and for the worldwide commercial satellite market.

Atlas is the most reliable and versatile launch vehicle family in the space launch industry today, with a record of 63 consecutive successful missions and 472 total launch successes. In addition, all seven new versions of the commercial Atlas introduced to the market since 1990 have flown successfully in their inaugural flights -- Atlas I (1990), Atlas II (1991), Atlas IIA (1992), Atlas IIAS (1993), Atlas IIIA (2000), Atlas IIIB (2002) and Atlas V (2002). This record of inaugural flight performance is unprecedented in the space launch industry. The Atlas team accomplished this by using a proven development strategy termed the "spiral development" method. Using this method, Lockheed Martin achieved incremental steps in its ongoing development and improvement of the Atlas launch system, as opposed to major leaps in unproven technology. This approach has led to the successful evolution of the Atlas to the Atlas V 400 and 500 series. The evolutionary steps undertaken by Lockheed Martin have resulted in revolutionary achievements and launch system performance.

Frost & Sullivan, a global leader in strategic market training and growth consulting, presents Market Engineering Awards to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry, commending the innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine Market Engineering Award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com.

Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles is a business unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is one of the major operating units of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a variety of advanced technology systems for military, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include a full-range of space launch systems, including heavy-lift capability, ground systems, remote sensing and communications satellites for commercial and government customers, advanced space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a highly diversified global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses span space and telecommunications, electronics, information and services, aeronautics, energy and systems integration. Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales surpassing $24 billion.

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For more information about Lockheed Martin Space Systems and its products, go to http://www.ast.lmco.com/ and http://lmms.external.lmco.com/ .

CONTACT: Steve Tatum, +1-408-742-7531, or pager, +1-888-926-2912, or stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com, or Joan Underwood, +1-303-971-7398, or pager, +1-800-745-8198, or joan.b.underwood@lmco.com.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company