8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                                April 24, 2000
                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)


                               MOTIENT CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


         DELAWARE                  0-23044                   93-0976127
(State or other jurisdiction     (Commission                IRS Employer
    of incorporation)            File Number)             Identification No.)


                            10802 Parkridge Boulevard
                           Reston, Virginia 20191-5416
                                 (703) 758-6000
               (Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                 including area code, of registrant's principal
                               executive offices)


                     AMERICAN MOBILE SATELLITE CORPORATION
         (former name or former address, if changed since last report)




Item 5.  Other Events


On April  24,  2000,  the  registrant  changed  its name from  "American  Mobile
Satellite   Corporation"  to  "Motient   Corporation."   The  registrant  hereby
incorporates  by reference the  information  contained in Exhibit 99.1 hereto in
response to this Item 5, announcing such change in the name of the registrant.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

(c)  Exhibits

The following documents are filed as exhibits to the report:

     99.1 Press Release dated April 24, 2000.






                                   SIGNATURES


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.



                                          MOTIENT CORPORATION
                                          (Registrant)



Date: April 24, 2000                      /s/Randy S. Segal
                                          Randy S. Segal
                                          Senior Vice President, General Counsel

EX-99.1

Contacts:
David Wonderling                                                   Phil Piemonte
Motient                                                        Hill and Knowlton
703-716-6375                                                        703-476-2241
david.wonderling@motient.com                              emonte@hillandknowlton





                 AMERICAN MOBILE SELECTS "MOTIENT CORPORATION"
                      AS BUSINESS NAME FOR NEW MILLENNIUM

         Motient Reflects A Focused Commitment to Mobile Communications


RESTON,  VA, - April 24,  2000  --Projecting  a clear  vision for its  corporate
future,  American Mobile Satellite  Corporation  (NASDAQ:  SKYC) today announced
that it was  reinforcing  its change of  corporate  direction  by  renaming  the
company "Motient Corporation." {NASDAQ symbol effective April 25, 2000 - MTNT}.

"Motient  conveys  a  sense  of  motion,  intelligence  and  information  -  all
critically   important  factors  in  how  we  provide  wireless   communications
solutions," said Walter V. Purnell,  Jr.,  president and chief executive officer
of Motient.  "Our corporate  direction is providing  wireless data solutions and
mobile Internet access using the best terrestrial  network in the United States.
Motient's satellite and  industry-leading  terrestrial network provide on-street
and in-building  coverage to more than 220 million Americans;  it is clearly our
competitive edge."

"Motient is information in motion, solutions in motion and instant messaging for
business-to-business  and  business-to-consumers,"  Purnell  continued.  "We are
excited about our role in the ever-changing  world of the mobile  professional -
travelling around the Beltway or across the United States."

According to Gary M. Parsons,  Motient  Chairman,  "We have clearly moved beyond
our initial role as a satellite service  provider.  The new name and branding is
more consistent with our role as a mobile Internet provider with a comprehensive
terrestrial and satellite data communications network. eLinksm wireless email by
Motient and  MobileMAX2(TM)by  Motient keep business connected to both corporate
and personal information."




About  Motient

Motient (www.Motient.com) owns and operates an integrated  terrestrial/satellite
network and provides a wide range of two-way mobile and Internet  communications
services  principally to  business-to-business  customers and  enterprises.  The
company provides its industry-leading  eLinksm two-way wireless email service to
customers  accessing email through corporate servers,  Internet Service Provider
(ISP) and Mail Service  Provider (MSP) accounts,  and paging network  suppliers.
Motient serves a variety of markets including mobile  professionals,  telemetry,
transportation,  field service,  and nationwide voice dispatch offering coverage
to all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and hundreds of miles of
U. S. coastal waters.

                                     # # #


Factors that could cause actual results to differ  materially  from those in the
forward-looking  statements  in this  news  release  are  described  in  Motient
(formerly  American Mobile Satellite)  Corporation's  registration  statement on
Form S-3 (File No.  333-81459)  and in Motient's  (formerly  American  Mobile's)
annual  report on Form 10-K for the year ended  December  31, 1999 and its other
periodic filings and reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies
of  such   reports  and  filings  are   available   upon  request  from  Motient
Corporation's Investor Relations Department.