Sweeps Winner's Name To Appear on a Satellite

EchoStar Communications is putting its own twist on a sweepstakes trend that gives the winner a trip to outer space.

EchoStar and its DISH Network satellite television service's Reach for the Stars Sweepstakes will place the winner's name permanently on the next satellite it launches. The sweeps runs through Sept. 30.

Consumers enter by clicking the Reach for the Stars banner at Dishnetwork.com and type in the name they wish to place on the satellite. The winner will also receive $1,000 and a trip for two adults to attend the official rocket signing ceremony.

Participants who refer the sweepstakes to a friend or family member through the Web site will also be eligible to win a package that includes one year of America's Top 60 programming and a complete satellite TV system featuring digital video recording.

In May, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages launched an on-pack promotion for its Diet 7UP with Splenda Brand Sweetener that touted a chance to fly to the edge of suborbital space on an FAA-approved commercial space flight. That sweeps ends Aug. 31.

Volvo Cars North America started the outer-space craze in February with a sweeps that awarded a man a seat aboard Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight. The online sweeps promoted the automaker's XC90 V8 SUV, and received 135,000 entries and more than 18 million hits.

Volvo reported that the Web site for that sweepstakes, which was launched Feb. 6 during Volvo's first-ever Super Bowl spot, received more than 18 million hits, and that more than 135,000 aspiring astronauts registered for the chance to win a seat aboard.

EchoStar said it expects EchoSrat X to launch some time in 2006.

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