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Mission Success for Boeing-Built Micro-satellite
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ST. LOUIS, Feb. 5, 2003 - Boeing [NYSE:BA] announced today that the
successful 12-hour mission of the first micro-satellite, known as 
XSS-10, proves that an autonomous space system can operate near other 
orbiting space objects.

XSS-10 was one of two payloads launched on Jan. 29 on a Delta II 
rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Work on this first 
micro-satellite began in 1997 when Boeing was awarded the contract 
under a project funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory. Boeing's 
Space and Intelligence Systems and Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, 
both business units of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, designed, 
developed and built this 31-kilogram (68-pound) spacecraft that is the 
first in the XSS series of experimental satellite systems.

"The XSS-10 not only proves that small autonomous spacecraft can be 
used to come close to other spacecraft in orbit, but proving this 
technology could result in additional benefits to the satellite 
industry as a whole," said Dr. Roger Roberts, senior vice president of 
Space and Intelligence Systems.

The XSS-10 features an on-board computer processor, avionics, 
propulsion and high-resolution cameras that facilitate close 
inspection. During this mission, the XSS-10 traveled within 100 meters 
(328 feet) of the second-stage booster of the Delta II rocket, to take 
photographs and transmit the images back to ground from a low-Earth 
orbital position 800 kilometers above the equator.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Integrated Defense Systems is a $25 
billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global 
military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading 
provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's 
largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite 
manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the 
primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest 
contractor; and a global leader in satellite launch services.

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Contact:

Diana Ball (S&IS)
562-797-5863 office
562-243-8269 cellular
diana.ball{at}boeing.com Walter Rice (IDS)
314-234-2149 office
314-705-0005 cellular
walter.h.rice{at}boeing.com

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