In August 1996, Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc. (HSCI), today Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc., signed a contract with SATMEX for SATMEX 5, a Hughes 601HP body-stabilized satellite. SATMEX 5 expands Mexico's satellite services, and was successfully launched on an Ariane rocket on Dec. 5, 1998. SATMEX provides fixed satellite services, and its satellite fleet includes Solidaridad 2 and Morelos II. SATMEX 5 features more than 7,000 watts of payload power, at least 10 times the capacity of Morelos II.