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Sea Launch Lofts XM Radio Bird
Sea Launch successfully boosted the first satellite of the XM Satellite Radio network, XM "Rock" at 2:33 pm PST from the Sea Launch platform in equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean. The first signals from the satellite were captured by a ground station in Australia at 6:43 pm EST as planned. "Today's flawless launch puts one of the final pieces in place to kick off XM's revolutionary new radio service on schedule this summer," said XM President and CEO Hugh Panero. "We now have a satellite in the sky, XM-ready radios on retail shelves, our chipsets in production, and our state-of-the-art broadcast studio humming. First there was AM, then FM, and now XM. Radio will never be the same." All three XM satellites -- "Rock," "Roll," which is also built, and a spare in its final testing phase -- are Boeing 702 models, the most powerful commercial satellites ever made, manufactured by industry leader Boeing Satellite Systems, a business of the Boeing Company. The Sea Launch Company, an international partnership, is the world's only ocean-based commercial launch service provider, offering the most direct and cost-effective route to transfer orbit. Rock launched from 154 degrees West Longitude. Its final position will be at 115 degrees West Longitude. A 200-foot Zenit-3SL rocket lifted the 10,284 lb. (4,666 kg) digital audio radio satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Roll will launch in early May, also from Sea Launch's platform in the Pacific. Rock and Roll will both operate in geostationary orbit above the United States. By using two powerful satellites, each with the same nationwide coverage, XM will ensure maximum signal and system reliability. "We are extremely happy to launch the first of two XM Satellite Radio spacecraft," said Randy H. Brinkley, president of Boeing Satellite Systems. "I like to congratulate Hugh Panero and the entire XM team on this historic day. Boeing is looking forward to launching 'Roll' in May and completing the final testing on the spare third satellite. "Having 'Rock' and 'Roll' as two powerful Boeing 702 satellites on orbit will help XM Satellite Radio ensure maximum signal quality and system reliability to each user. We are proud to be a part of the first generation of digital radio." The XM "Rock" satellite has two 16.4 ft folding deployable S-band transmit reflectors and one X-band global receive antenna. The satellite spans 132.5 feet in length and 46.6 feet in width, with antennas fully deployed, and has a total spacecraft power of 18 kilowatts. To generate such high power, each of the satellite's two solar wings employ five panels of high-efficiency, dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells developed by Spectrolab, Inc., a Boeing Satellite Systems subsidiary. To provide 15 years' service, the Boeing 702 carries the flight-proven xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS), built by Boeing Electron Dynamics Devices, another Boeing Satellite Systems subsidiary, for all on-orbit maneuvering. The satellite carries a digital audio radio payload which features two active transponders generating approximately 3,000 watts of radio frequency power, making these the most powerful commercial transponders ever built. Rock is operating in a geosynchronous orbit at 85 degrees West longitude and weighs approximately 10,284 pounds (4,666 kg) at launch. XM hopes to transform radio, an industry that has seen little technological change since FM, almost 40 years ago. XM will create and package up to 100 channels of digital-quality sound and provide coast-to-coast coverage of music, news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming. XM's investors include America's leading car, radio and satellite TV companies -- General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications, DIRECTV and Motient Corporation (Nasdaq: MTNT - news), the company's largest shareholder. XM has a long-term distribution agreement with General Motors to integrate XM radios into its vehicles commencing in 2001. XM-ready radios are being manufactured by such household names as Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion, Blaupunkt, Delphi-Delco, Visteon, Panasonic, and Sanyo. Related Links XM Satellite Radio SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Sea Launch Lofts Thuraya-1 Bird
El Segundo - Oct. 21, 2000The Thuraya-1 satellite, part of a turnkey mobile communications system built for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. of the United Arab Emirates, was successfully launched tonight on board a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from the equator in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
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