Iridium And Seamobile Europe Supply High-Speed Satellite Communications For UCAR Cap Odyssée Challenge

BETHESDA, Md., U.S. and PARIS – July 7, 2009 – Iridium Satellite LLC (Iridium) and SeaMobile Europe are teaming to supply high-bandwidth satellite communications in support of the UCAR Cap Odyssée challenge this summer.

The UCAR Cap Odyssée will involve three French women – Stéphanie Geyer-Barneix, Alexandra Lux and Flora Manciet – who will set off to sea from Cape Breton Island, Canada in an attempt to traverse the North Atlantic Ocean on paddleboards. They hope to arrive at Capbreton, France two months later. The three women are competitive paddleboarders who have won numerous European and world championship titles. They hope to average 100 kilometers per day paddling in relays. Yves Parlier, the French sailor, adventurer and inventor, will sail a support vessel accompanying the women.

SeaMobile Europe is installing an Iridium OpenPort® marine satellite terminal and software on the support vessel to provide high-quality voice and data connections while at sea, as it is the only high-bandwidth maritime communications system that works anywhere on the globe. SeaMobile Europe’s unique ClipWay®software will enable Parlier and his crew to transmit video files that will be sent via a unique optimized IP protocol and will then be fed to news media following the expedition throughout the voyage.

“We believe this will be a good showcase for the advanced capabilities of Iridium OpenPort,” said Don Thoma, executive vice president, Marketing for Iridium.“This product meets the demand for higher-capacity voice and data connections in a small, lightweight, inexpensive package. Since then, the system’s capabilities have been validated through extensive land testing and sea trials.”

“News media and fans will be able to follow the fortunes of these brave young women in their record-setting adventure through video transmissions from the support vessel,” said Juliette Warter, marketing director for SeaMobile Europe. “Our proprietary ClipWay technology makes it possible to easily capture, compress and send the video files for transmission through the Iridium OpenPort 128 kbps data link to a computer server ashore.”

“For an adventure of this nature, the safety of the competitors is of primary importance,” said Parlier. “That is why we are placing our reliance on Iridium OpenPort. The system will serve as our primary communication link with the outside world throughout the voyage. We will depend on it to give us critical reports from our support team ashore on weather and sea currents.”

The French aerospace technology company, Thales Alenia Space, and SAFRAN are primary sponsors for the UCAR Cap Odyssée event, and are providing technical support to Parlier and the challenge team.

About Iridium Satellite LLC

Iridium Satellite LLC (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering pole-to-pole coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium’s subscriber growth has been driven by increasing demand for reliable, secure, global communications. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of hundreds of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense, and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company’s customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT, which will result in continued and new Iridium MSS offerings. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. and is currently privately held.

About SeaMobile Europe

For nearly 20 years, SeaMobile Europe has been a pioneer in providing global satellite communication services. As a preferred partner of the world’s leading satellite networks and a key Iridium distributor, the company provides services ranging from simple voice communication to the setup of complete IP networks. With combined professional applications, communication methods become optimized, reliable, and cost effective. SeaMobile Europe, formerly Geolink, is part of SeaMobile Enterprises Group, based in Seattle and Miami (U.S.). SeaMobile Europe is the dominant global service provider of communications, connectivity and content services in remote locations at sea and on land. For more information, visit www.seamobile.com.

About Thales Alenia Space

A European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67 percent) and Finmeccanica (33 percent). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups’ “Space Alliance.” Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. The company has a total of 7,200 employees and 11 industrial sites, with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. For more information, visit www.thalesaleniaspace.com.

About SAFRAN

SAFRAN is an international high-technology group with leadership positions in its core businesses of aerospace propulsion, aircraft equipment and defense security. The SAFRAN Group employs about 54,000 people in over 30 countries and generates revenue of more than €10 billion. It comprises many companies with prestigious brand names and holds, alone or in partnership, global or European leadership positions in its markets. SAFRAN is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris and its share is included in the SBF 120 and Euronext 100 indices. For more information, visit www.safran-group.com.