ELLIPSO, INC. APPOINTS THOMAS KARR AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WASHINGTON, DC, May 17, 1999 -- Ellipso, Inc. today announced Dr. Thomas Karr has been appointed as Executive Director, Ellipso Program. Reporting to Dr. Pete Rustan, Vice President, Ellipso System and Technology, Dr. Karr will be responsible for managing the technology, research and engineering for all aspects of the Ellipso™ system. "We are fortunate to have someone of Tom's caliber and experience here at Ellipso." said Dr. David Castiel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ellipso, Inc., "Since the Ellipso system uses technology to drive down consumer costs, Tom's background in the use of the latest technology for space applications will be a tremendous asset." "Ellipso is designed to give customers the best performance for the price, by using an innovative concept and incorporating recent technological advances." said Dr. Karr "I'm very excited to be a participant in bringing the Ellipso system to market." Dr. Karr's most recent position was an advisor for technical development and business planning in the aerospace, telecommunications and computer industries. He was Chief Operating Officer of RDL Space Corporation, an aerospace company founded to operate the first U.S. commercial radar satellite system. Prior to that he was a program manager at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, spending time in the Physics and Space Technology Directorate and the Peacemaker, Brilliant Pebbles and Laser Programs. Dr. Karr's first position was leader of the Optics Group at Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. Dr. Karr received his B.S. from Princeton and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland, and is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. Ellipso, Inc., 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. The Ellipso™ project includes the participation of The Boeing Company, the system integrator and space segment prime contractor; the Harris Corporation, manufacturer of the Ellipso™ spacecraft's communication payload; Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications, developer and manufacturer of the Ellipso™ ground control stations; and L-3 Communications, provider of the digital communications technology. For more information on Ellipso™, visit the web site: http://www.ellipso.com.