AeroAstro and Space Machine Advisors Join to Offer Escort,
An On-Orbit Microsatellite Inspector

Herndon, VA – April 10, 2000

AeroAstro, Inc., the world’s premier small satellite technology company, has partnered with Space Machine Advisors, Inc., a satellite risk-management consultant and financial services firm, to offer Escort, an on-orbit "microsatellite doctor," to diagnose and inspect high-value communications satellites during deployment and operations. The service will also assist in resolving insurance claims.

Escort, a low-cost microsatellite designed to either accompany new spacecraft to orbit or rendezvous with existing satellites, operates independently of the target satellite but has the ability to maneuver safely in close proximity to it, perform and analyze tests, and communicate directly with the ground.

Dr. Rick Fleeter, President and CEO of AeroAstro, said, "Escort combines the mission assurance experience of Space Machine Advisors with the unique capabilities of AeroAstro’s microsatellite technology to offer a service that will allow AeroAstro and Space Machine Advisors Join to Offer Escort, An On-Orbit Microsatellite Inspector save the space communications industry hundreds of millions of dollars. Through both advances in spacecraft miniaturization technology and business practices, we are creating new high-value applications for space."

Failures and deployment problems which often cause delays in service or even total breakdown are inspected using non-optical proprietary technology as well as visual sensors to give operators an immediate understanding of the difficulty and to help evaluate appropriate steps to resolve it. In some cases, Escort can take action to ameliorate the situation and enable mission success.

Alden Richards, President of Space Machine Advisors, added, "Escort will provide the vital information about on-orbit systems that could materially reduce risk both for its target satellite and similar spacecraft still on the assembly line."

AeroAstro and Space Machine Advisors are working with several satellite builders, service providers, and insurers on the Escort service. AeroAstro is developing several proprietary technologies for the system, which represents the first step towards true on-orbit satellite servicing.

AeroAstro, a pioneer of micro- and nano-spacecraft applications in science, remote sensing, and communications, is a leader in innovative small satellite applications that open the space frontier. It led the trend towards high technology in miniature satellites – now the industry standard – with its highly successful ALEXIS satellite begun in 1988 and currently in its seventh year operating on-orbit.

AeroAstro is now leading the way to a new age of commercial space with flexible tools that enable new users to benefit from unprecedented access to space systems. AeroAstro has designed, constructed, tested and supported the launch of several small satellites. It has delivered numerous spacecraft design programs and manufactures low-cost small rocket engines, nano-satellites and spacecraft components. NASA, the Air Force, and commercial and university customers have all employed AeroAstro throughout its 12-year history.

Space Machine Advisors

Space Machine Advisors, Inc. (SMA), established in 1991, provides risk management, insurance brokerage, financial services, and strategic planning to the space business community and was the first company designed to provide all these services from a single organization. Its clients have included PanAmSat, the largest commercial satellite operator in the world.

SMA specializes in developing new space ventures and, in particular, technologies to mitigate the risk of operating in the space environment.

For more information about Space Machine Advisors, call Adlen Richards or Richard Guest at 203-661-0202, write Space Machine Advisors, 283 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830, or e-mail arichards@spacemachine.com or rguest@spacemachine.com.