Exhibit 10.15.8 

                     Confidential - Arianespace Proprietary



This Side  Letter #2 to the  Launch  Services  Agreement  95.5.933  between  the
Parties is entered into between:

ARIANESPACE  S.A., a company  organized  under the laws of France and having its
principal office at Boulevard de l'Europe, 91006 EVRY, France.


AND


PanAmSat Corporation a company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware
with principal  offices located at One Pickwick Plaza,  Greenwich,  Connecticut,
U.S.A. (hereinafter referred to as "PanAmSat Corporation")

and

PanAmSat  International  a  company  organized  under  the laws of the  State of
Delaware  with  principal  offices  located at One  Pickwick  Plaza,  Greenwich,
Connecticut, U.S.A. (hereinafter referred to as "PanAmSat International")



Reference  is made  to  Amendment  #1 to the  Side  Letter  to  Launch  Services
Agreement  95.5.933  executed  between  PanAmSat  Corporation and ARIANESPACE on
December 20, 1995, for the Launch of PanAmSat  Satellites  (said Agreement being
hereinafter  referred to as the "Agreement" and the Launches  covered under said
Agreement being hereafter referred to as the Launches and said Amendment #1 to
the Side  Letter  dated 8 January  1998 being  hereinafter  referred to as "Side
Letter #1"). All  capitalized  terms herein shall have the same meaning as under
the Agreement.

On this day,  the Parties have  entered  into  Amendment #4 to the  Agreement in
order to add a Firm Launch #3 to the Agreement.

The Parties  agree that the  conditions  listed  hereafter  shall be  applicable
notwithstanding  the terms of the  Agreement  or of the Side  Letter #1.  Unless
otherwise  indicated,  words  defined  under the  Agreement  shall have the same
meaning in the present Side Letter.


<PAGE>


I. Launch Slots of PAS 7 and 6B under the MLSA

The Parties recognize that although the PAS 7 Launch and the PAS 6B Launch are  
both allocated Launch Slots in October 1998, only one of these two Launches may 
take place during the same calendar month.

In  view  of the  delays  in the  manufacturing  of PAS 7  which  have  lead  to
subsequent  reschedulings of the Launch Slot, it is the intention of the Parties
to Launch these two Satellites as soon as possible taking into consideration the
date of availability of the Satellites and the available Launch Opportunities.

Both Parties shall therefore consult  regularly on Launch  Opportunities and the
date of availability of the Satellites and shall use their best efforts in order
to accelerate either Launch to a Launch Slot beginning prior to 1 October 1998.

More  specifically,  no later than 15 April 1998,  the Parties  will explore the
possibility  of  accelerating  either  one  of  these  two  Launches  under  the
provisions  of Paragraph  11.5.  of the MLSA to a Launch Slot in August 1998 (as
previously foreseen for PAS 7 prior to Satellite  manufacturing delays) in order
to leave the October Launch Slot available for the other Launch.

Should these efforts fail,  the Parties shall meet no later than 15 June 1998 in
order  to  discuss  the  progress  of  the  manufacturing  of  the  PAS 6B and 7
Satellites.  The Launch Slot will be attributed  to the Satellite  designated by
PanAmSat International among these two Satellites no later than 1 July 1998. The
other  Launch will  automatically  be  rescheduled  by mutual  agreement  of the
Parties to a Launch Slot  extending  from 1 December 1998 up to and including 31
December   1998,  or,  if  possible  to  an  earlier  Launch  Slot  taking  into
consideration  the date of  availability  of the  Satellites  and the  available
Launch Opportunities.


<PAGE>


ARTICLE 2
SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR FIRM LAUNCH #3


The  provisions  of  Articles I. to IV. of the Side Letter #1 shall not apply to
Firm  Launch #3 under the  Agreement  and said Firm Launch #3 shall not be taken
into consideration for the application of said provisions.

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ARTICLE 3

This Side Letter constitutes an amendment to the Agreement within the meaning of
its  Paragraph  20.6 as well as an amendment to the Side Letter #1 and the terms
of this Side Letter  shall  prevail in the event of any  inconsistency  with the
terms of the  Agreement  or with the terms of Side  Letter #1.  This Side Letter
shall   remain   confidential   and  unless   indicated   expressly   otherwise,
authorization  to disclose  the  Agreement  shall not include  authorization  to
disclose this Side Letter.


Executed this 9th day of March, 1998.


FOR ARIANESPACE                             FOR PANAMSAT CORPORATION



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FOR PANAMSAT INTERNATIONAL



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[***]  Filed  separately  with  the  Commission   pursuant  to  a  request  for
       confidential treatment.