Lockheed Martin is in the final stages of preparation for Saturday's launch of a commercial telecommunications satellite for Intelsat, the world's leading provider of fixed satellite services, aboard an Atlas V booster provided by United Launch Alliance. The launch window opens at 12:48 a.m. EST and extends until 2:18 a.m. The launch can be viewed live at www.ulalaunch.com beginning at 12:30 a.m. EST.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services is under contract to Intelsat Ltd. to place the Intelsat 14 (IS-14) spacecraft into an injected orbit, ultimately positioned at 315 degrees east longitude. IS-14 was built by Space Systems/Loral and will provide high-powered video and data services through its C-band and Ku-band payload, serving Intelsat customers throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa and will replace Intelsat's IS-1R satellite once it enters service.

The spacecraft also carries a hosted payload for the Internet Router in Space, or IRIS program, for Cisco Systems.

"We are fully cognizant of the importance of this launch to Intelsat and all stakeholders and are particularly proud to have been chosen as the launch services partner," said David Markham, president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. "This mission will further demonstrate the reliability, flexibility and capabilities of the Atlas launch vehicle, which can be applied to the commercial market as we continue to seek one to two commercial orders per year."

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world's leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat's satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, which markets the Atlas V to commercial customers worldwide, is a unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, which is a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems Company designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; ballistic missiles; missile defense systems; and nanotechnology research and development.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

  Media Contact: Charles Manor, 408-242-4046; email, charles.manor@lmco.com
  Launch imagery will be available at www.lockheedmartin.com/cls
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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin