WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 1999 -- Ellipso, Inc. today announced that Mr. Charles A. Bigot has been elected to its Board of Directors, where he will chair the Advisory Committee for European Policy and Strategic Planning. As a former Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, Mr. Bigot was instrumental in making Arianespace the world leader in commercial launch services.

"Ellipso is extraordinarily fortunate to have Mr. Bigot on its Board of Directors." said Dr. David Castiel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ellipso, Inc. "His depth of experience, outstanding achievements in the aerospace industry, and comprehensive knowledge of the space business will be a tremendous asset as we complete the construction of the Ellipso system and move forward into operations and provision of service."

"I am fully convinced that the Ellipso system, using a new, original concept of satellite constellations, will deliver to users a very reliable, cost effective global service." said Mr. Bigot. "It is an interesting step in the space communications business, and I am very happy to participate in this venture."

Prior to Arianespace, he was Director for Commercial Space Business at Aérospatiale, Director General at SERI-Renault Engineering, Director of Development at Air Inter, and served successively as Director of Launch Vehicles Systems and Deputy Director of the Brétigny Space Center of Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Mr. Bigot graduated from the École Polytechnique, the École Nationale d'Aéronautique, both of France, and the College of Aeronautics, in Cranfield (NATO) and holds a business degree from the Centre de Perfectionnement des Affaires in France. He serves on the Board of several institutions of higher learning in France, and is permanent member of the International Academy of Astronautics, the Académie Nationale de l'Air et de l'Espace and member of the French Parliamentary Group on Espace. Mr. Bigot was awarded the rank of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Mérite, and the Médaille de Vermeille of the CNES.

Ellipso, Inc., a private company headquartered in Washington, D.C., is currently designing and constructing the Ellipso™ satellite-based global communications system that will provide low cost and high quality digital voice and data services worldwide. Utilizing unique and patented elliptical orbits, the Ellipso™ system will provide voice, data, facsimile, paging and geolocational services to subscribers around the world at prices significantly lower than competing systems.