SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C. 20549-1004





                                    FORM 8-K
                    CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



          Date of Report
(Date of earliest event reported) September 28, 2000
                                  ------------------




                         HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
              -----------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




      STATE OF DELAWARE               0-26035                 52-1106564
----------------------------   -----------------------    -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction        (Commission            (I.R.S. Employer
 of incorporation or organization)   File Number)         Identification No.)




                          200 North Sepulveda Boulevard
                          El Segundo, California 90245
                         -------------------------------
                                 (310) 662-9688
                                ----------------
               (Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
        including area code, of registrants' principal executive office)























                                      - 1 -
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS

      On September 28, 2000,  Hughes' 81% owned subsidiary,  PanAmSat,  released
the  following  press  release  regarding  the  operation  of its Galaxy  VIII-i
satellite:

                  PANAMSAT'S SATELLITE DEPLOYMENT PLAN ASSURES
                  CONTINUOUS SERVICE FOR GALAXY VIII-i CUSTOMER
  Galaxy VIII-i Is Operating Normally After Propulsion System Difficulties; GLA
 Will Use Galaxy IIIC, Which Is Already Under Construction For Launch Next Year;
   Agreement in Principle Reached With GLA To Build Galaxy VIII-iR Replacement
                                    Satellite

GREENWICH,  Conn.,  September  28, 2000 - PanAmSat  Corporation  (NASDAQ:  SPOT)
announced  today that the  Galaxy  VIII-i  satellite  has  recently  experienced
difficulties with its primary propulsion system that are expected to shorten its
projected  operational life. The company's  ongoing  satellite  deployment plan,
however, is expected to assure continuous service for the Galaxy VIII-i customer
because Galaxy IIIC is already under  construction and scheduled for launch next
year,  a full year  before  the  projected  end of  operational  life for Galaxy
VIII-i.

In addition,  PanAmSat  has reached an agreement in principle  with Galaxy Latin
America  (GLA),  the  Galaxy  VIII-i  customer,  to  build  the  Galaxy  VIII-iR
replacement satellite to assure against a Galaxy IIIC launch failure and provide
for a more robust in-orbit back-up  configuration.  This agreement is subject to
approval by the boards of directors of PanAmSat and GLA.

Galaxy VIII-i recently  experienced  difficulties  with its xenon ion propulsion
system  (XIPS),  an electric  propulsion  system  that is used to  maintain  the
spacecraft's  proper orbit and attitude.  The satellite is operating normally on
its  backup  chemical  propulsion  system.  PanAmSat  and the  manufacturer  are
continuing to investigate  the causes of the difficulty and possible  solutions.
Without the use of XIPS, the spacecraft is expected to reach its  end-of-life in
late 2002.

Galaxy IIIC is under  construction  and  expected  to be launched  into the same
orbital  location as Galaxy  VIII-i  during the second  quarter of 2001. At that
time, GLA will transition to Galaxy IIIC as its primary  transmission  platform,
which will not require  re-pointing of any consumer  dishes.  Galaxy VIII-i will
continue to be used for some additional services.

"As the world's largest commercial satellite operator, we have the capability to
offer  unparalleled  backup and  redundancy  for our  customers.  As part of our
ongoing satellite expansion effort, we are already building Galaxy IIIC in order
to assure seamless, long-term service for GLA," said R. Douglas Kahn, PanAmSat's
president and chief executive officer.

PanAmSat  operates five other HS 601 HP spacecraft  that contain XIPS and one HS
702 spacecraft that uses the XIPS propulsion system. By mid-2001, PanAmSat plans
to launch one additional HS 601 HP spacecraft, and two HS 702 spacecraft, all of
which use a XIPS  propulsion  system.  The HS 702s use a different  XIPS system.
Based on the information  furnished to PanAmSat by Hughes Space & Communications
Company,  the  manufacturer  of  the  XIPS-equipped  satellite,  and  PanAmSat's
experience with XIPS, PanAmSat believes that this difficulty on Galaxy VIII-i is
an  incident  that  will not  affect  the  performance  of XIPS on  those  other
spacecraft.

PanAmSat expects that the reduced in-orbit life of Galaxy VIII-i will not have a
material  impact on the company's  projected  revenues  through  2002.  PanAmSat
intends to  accelerate  depreciation  of the  spacecraft  to reflect its revised
operational life, resulting in an increase in its projected depreciation expense
beginning  in the  fourth  quarter  of 2000 of  approximately  $15  million  per
quarter,  which may not be offset by insurance proceeds.  It is anticipated that
the reduced life will result in a reduction  of backlog in the  ten-year  period
after 2002 of approximately $350 million, which would be more than offset by the
potential addition to backlog from the Galaxy VIII-iR satellite.

                                      - 2 -

If the  replacement  satellite  is launched to serve GLA's  additional  capacity
needs,  the  resulting  backlog  would  more than  offset the loss of backlog on
Galaxy VIII-i.

Until the  successful  launch and in service  placement of Galaxy IIIC, GLA also
has backup rights to preemptible transponders on Galaxy IIIR. However, given the
capacity that  continues to be available on Galaxy  VIII-i,  the new capacity on
the Galaxy IIIC  satellite to be made  available in 2001,  and the  agreement in
principle to provide capacity on the additional replacement satellite,  PanAmSat
considers it highly unlikely that this situation will occur.

Galaxy VIII-i, an HS 601 HP satellite built by Hughes Space and  Communications,
was launched in December 1997 and provides  Ku-band  coverage of Latin  America.
Galaxy IIIC is a  Hughes-built  HS 702  spacecraft  that will provide C-band and
Ku-band  coverage of the Americas upon its launch  during the second  quarter of
2001.

PanAmSat is a leading  provider of global video and data  broadcasting  services
via  satellite.  The company  builds,  owns and operates  networks  that deliver
entertainment  and  information  to  cable  television   systems,  TV  broadcast
affiliates,   direct-to-home   TV   operators,   Internet   service   providers,
telecommunications  companies  and  corporations.  With 21  spacecraft  in orbit
today,  PanAmSat  has the world's  largest  commercial  geostationary  satellite
network. The company will expand its global fleet to 24 spacecraft by late 2001.
For  more  information   about  PanAmSat,   visit  the  company's  web  site  at
http://www.panamsat.com.


NOTE:  The Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995  provides a "safe
harbor" for certain  forward-looking  statements so long as such  information is
identified  as  forward-looking  and is  accompanied  by  meaningful  cautionary
statements  identifying  important  factors that could cause  actual  results to
differ  materially  from those projected in the  information.  When used in this
press release, the words "estimate," "plan," "project,"  "anticipate," "expect,"
"intend,"  "outlook,"  "believe," and other similar  expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking  statements and information.  Actual results may differ
materially  from   anticipated   results  as  a  result  of  certain  risks  and
uncertainties,  which are more  specifically  set forth in the company's  annual
report  on Form  10-K for the year  ended  December  31,  1999 on file  with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission.  These risks and uncertainties  include but
are not  limited to (i) risks  associated  with  technology  (including  without
limitation,  delayed  launches,  launch  failures and in-orbit  failures),  (ii)
regulatory risks,  including the ability to obtain export licenses,  (iii) risks
of  uninsured  loss,  (iv) risks  associated  with the  Company's  new  Internet
initiatives,  and (v) litigation.  PanAmSat  cautions that the foregoing list of
important  factors is not exclusive.  Further,  PanAmSat operates in an industry
sector where securities values may be volatile and may be influenced by economic
and other factors beyond the Company's control.


                                   * * * * * *


                                    SIGNATURE


   Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                          HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
                                          ------------------------------
                                                  (Registrant)



                                       By
Date October 2, 2000                   /s/Roxanne S. Austin
     ------------------                -----------------------------------
                                       (Roxanne S. Austin,
                                        Chief Financial Officer)



                                      - 3 -
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORP", "cik": "0000944868", "assigned-sic": "4899", "irs-number": "521106564", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "000-26035", "film-number": "733262"}, "business-address": {"street1": "200 N SEPULVEDA BLVD", "city": "EL SAGUNDO", "state": "CA", "zip": "90245-0956", "phone": "3106629688"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "200 N SEPULVEDA BOULEVARD", "city": "EL SAGUNDO", "state": "CA", "zip": "90245-0956"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C. 20549-1004

                                    FORM 8-K
                    CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

          Date of Report
(Date of earliest event reported) September 28, 2000
                                  ------------------

                         HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
              -----------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

      STATE OF DELAWARE               0-26035                 52-1106564
----------------------------   -----------------------    -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction        (Commission            (I.R.S. Employer
 of incorporation or organization)   File Number)         Identification No.)

                          200 North Sepulveda Boulevard
                          El Segundo, California 90245
                         -------------------------------
                                 (310) 662-9688
                                ----------------
               (Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
        including area code, of registrants' principal executive office)

                                      - 1 -
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS

      On September 28, 2000,  Hughes' 81% owned subsidiary,  PanAmSat,  released
the  following  press  release  regarding  the  operation  of its Galaxy  VIII-i
satellite:

                  PANAMSAT'S SATELLITE DEPLOYMENT PLAN ASSURES
                  CONTINUOUS SERVICE FOR GALAXY VIII-i CUSTOMER
  Galaxy VIII-i Is Operating Normally After Propulsion System Difficulties; GLA
 Will Use Galaxy IIIC, Which Is Already Under Construction For Launch Next Year;
   Agreement in Principle Reached With GLA To Build Galaxy VIII-iR Replacement
                                    Satellite

GREENWICH,  Conn.,  September  28, 2000 - PanAmSat  Corporation  (NASDAQ:  SPOT)
announced  today that the  Galaxy  VIII-i  satellite  has  recently  experienced
difficulties with its primary propulsion system that are expected to shorten its
projected  operational life. The company's  ongoing  satellite  deployment plan,
however, is expected to assure continuous service for the Galaxy VIII-i customer
because Galaxy IIIC is already under  construction and scheduled for launch next
year,  a full year  before  the  projected  end of  operational  life for Galaxy
VIII-i.

In addition,  PanAmSat  has reached an agreement in principle  with Galaxy Latin
America  (GLA),  the  Galaxy  VIII-i  customer,  to  build  the  Galaxy  VIII-iR
replacement satellite to assure against a Galaxy IIIC launch failure and provide
for a more robust in-orbit back-up  configuration.  This agreement is subject to
approval by the boards of directors of PanAmSat and GLA.

Galaxy VIII-i recently  experienced  difficulties  with its xenon ion propulsion
system  (XIPS),  an electric  propulsion  system  that is used to  maintain  the
spacecraft's  proper orbit and attitude.  The satellite is operating normally on
its  backup  chemical  propulsion  system.  PanAmSat  and the  manufacturer  are
continuing to investigate  the causes of the difficulty and possible  solutions.
Without the use of XIPS, the spacecraft is expected to reach its  end-of-life in
late 2002.

Galaxy IIIC is under  construction  and  expected  to be launched  into the same
orbital  location as Galaxy  VIII-i  during the second  quarter of 2001. At that
time, GLA will transition to Galaxy IIIC as its primary  transmission  platform,
which will not require  re-pointing of any consumer  dishes.  Galaxy VIII-i will
continue to be used for some additional services.

"As the world's largest commercial satellite operator, we have the capability to
offer  unparalleled  backup and  redundancy  for our  customers.  As part of our
ongoing satellite expansion effort, we are already building Galaxy IIIC in order
to assure seamless, long-term service for GLA," said R. Douglas Kahn, PanAmSat's
president and chief executive officer.

PanAmSat  operates five other HS 601 HP spacecraft  that contain XIPS and one HS
702 spacecraft that uses the XIPS propulsion system. By mid-2001, PanAmSat plans
to launch one additional HS 601 HP spacecraft, and two HS 702 spacecraft, all of
which use a XIPS  propulsion  system.  The HS 702s use a different  XIPS system.
Based on the information  furnished to PanAmSat by Hughes Space & Communications
Company,  the  manufacturer  of  the  XIPS-equipped  satellite,  and  PanAmSat's
experience with XIPS, PanAmSat believes that this difficulty on Galaxy VIII-i is
an  incident  that  will not  affect  the  performance  of XIPS on  those  other
spacecraft.

PanAmSat expects that the reduced in-orbit life of Galaxy VIII-i will not have a
material  impact on the company's  projected  revenues  through  2002.  PanAmSat
intends to  accelerate  depreciation  of the  spacecraft  to reflect its revised
operational life, resulting in an increase in its projected depreciation expense
beginning  in the  fourth  quarter  of 2000 of  approximately  $15  million  per
quarter,  which may not be offset by insurance proceeds.  It is anticipated that
the reduced life will result in a reduction  of backlog in the  ten-year  period
after 2002 of approximately $350 million, which would be more than offset by the
potential addition to backlog from the Galaxy VIII-iR satellite.

                                      - 2 -

If the  replacement  satellite  is launched to serve GLA's  additional  capacity
needs,  the  resulting  backlog  would  more than  offset the loss of backlog on
Galaxy VIII-i.

Until the  successful  launch and in service  placement of Galaxy IIIC, GLA also
has backup rights to preemptible transponders on Galaxy IIIR. However, given the
capacity that  continues to be available on Galaxy  VIII-i,  the new capacity on
the Galaxy IIIC  satellite to be made  available in 2001,  and the  agreement in
principle to provide capacity on the additional replacement satellite,  PanAmSat
considers it highly unlikely that this situation will occur.

Galaxy VIII-i, an HS 601 HP satellite built by Hughes Space and  Communications,
was launched in December 1997 and provides  Ku-band  coverage of Latin  America.
Galaxy IIIC is a  Hughes-built  HS 702  spacecraft  that will provide C-band and
Ku-band  coverage of the Americas upon its launch  during the second  quarter of
2001.

PanAmSat is a leading  provider of global video and data  broadcasting  services
via  satellite.  The company  builds,  owns and operates  networks  that deliver
entertainment  and  information  to  cable  television   systems,  TV  broadcast
affiliates,   direct-to-home   TV   operators,   Internet   service   providers,
telecommunications  companies  and  corporations.  With 21  spacecraft  in orbit
today,  PanAmSat  has the world's  largest  commercial  geostationary  satellite
network. The company will expand its global fleet to 24 spacecraft by late 2001.
For  more  information   about  PanAmSat,   visit  the  company's  web  site  at
http://www.panamsat.com.

NOTE:  The Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995  provides a "safe
harbor" for certain  forward-looking  statements so long as such  information is
identified  as  forward-looking  and is  accompanied  by  meaningful  cautionary
statements  identifying  important  factors that could cause  actual  results to
differ  materially  from those projected in the  information.  When used in this
press release, the words "estimate," "plan," "project,"  "anticipate," "expect,"
"intend,"  "outlook,"  "believe," and other similar  expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking  statements and information.  Actual results may differ
materially  from   anticipated   results  as  a  result  of  certain  risks  and
uncertainties,  which are more  specifically  set forth in the company's  annual
report  on Form  10-K for the year  ended  December  31,  1999 on file  with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission.  These risks and uncertainties  include but
are not  limited to (i) risks  associated  with  technology  (including  without
limitation,  delayed  launches,  launch  failures and in-orbit  failures),  (ii)
regulatory risks,  including the ability to obtain export licenses,  (iii) risks
of  uninsured  loss,  (iv) risks  associated  with the  Company's  new  Internet
initiatives,  and (v) litigation.  PanAmSat  cautions that the foregoing list of
important  factors is not exclusive.  Further,  PanAmSat operates in an industry
sector where securities values may be volatile and may be influenced by economic
and other factors beyond the Company's control.

                                   * * * * * *

                                    SIGNATURE

   Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                          HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
                                          ------------------------------
                                                  (Registrant)

                                       By
Date October 2, 2000                   /s/Roxanne S. Austin
     ------------------                -----------------------------------
                                       (Roxanne S. Austin,
                                        Chief Financial Officer)

                                      - 3 -