I don't know where you came up with the idea that E2 was 2 years older than its expected life.
If you check here ECHOSTAR SATELLITE BROADCASTING CORP Securities Registration Statement (S-1/A) SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA You will see that E2 had an expected life of 2011.
According to that filing it died two months early
The expected end of commercial life of each satellite has been estimated by
EchoStar based on each satellite's actual or expected launch date and the
terms of the construction and launch contracts. The minimum design life is
12 years.
EchoStar II
Technical Summary and Satellite Overview
The company's second DBS satellite, EchoStar II, was successfully launched on September 10, 1996.