LOS ANGELES – XM-2, a Boeing 702 satellite – designated “Rock” – built for XM Satellite Radio, Inc. was successfully launched on March 18, 2001, on board Sea Launch platform at the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. Liftoff occurred at 2:33 p.m. PST, and the spacecraft’s first signals were received 70 minutes later at Perth, Australia confirming that systems are operating normally.
“Rock” is the first of two satellites built for XM Satellite Radio, Inc., Washington D.C., by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), Inc., a unit of The Boeing Company. The second satellite “Roll” is scheduled to launch in May.
The satellite will be turned over to XM Satellite Radio, Inc., in approximately two months to begin the operational phase. XM Satellite Radio system will deliver up to 100 channels of digital quality music, news and information to cars, homes and other listening environments.
“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 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 strategic 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), the company’s largest shareholder. XM has a long-term distribution agreement with General Motors to integrate XM-ready radios into its vehicles commencing in 2001.
Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, and is also a major provider of space systems, satellites, and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries and manufacturing operations throughout the Untied States, Canada and Australia.
