Two U.S. firms will orbit satellites for British TV.

The $300-million agreements with British Satellite Broadcasting Ltd., a London-based consortium, were announced by Hughes Aircraft Co. of El Segundo and the Huntington Beach-based astronautics unit of McDonnell Douglas Corp. of St. Louis. Included in the price will be $100 million to buy two Delta II rockets from McDonnell Douglas Astronautics to boost the satellites into orbit. It is believed to be the first firm agreement to launch commercial satellites since the January, 1986, explosion that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger.