• Satellite Delivery to the Payload Processing Facility, Sea Launch Home Port
• Payload Rollout from the Payload Processing Facility to the Sea Launch Commander
• Rocket Transfer from the Ship to the Odyssey Launch Platform
• Rocket Rollout and Erection on launch pad for the final tests
• Departure of the Odyssey Launch Platform
• Departure of the Sea Launch Commander
• Arrival at Equatorial Launch Site, countdown to begin
• Launch of XM-3 satellite

You may view the launch photos of this mission by clicking on the:
Launch Closeup or the Launch Wide Angle photo.

From its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, a Zenit-3SL vehicle lifted the 4703 kg (about 10,368 lb.) XM-3 satellite to an optimized perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), on its way to a final orbital position at 85 degrees West Longitude. Like its sister spacecraft, XM-1 and XM-2, XM-3 will transmit more than 150 channels of digital-quality music, news, sports, talk, comedy and children’s programming to subscribers across the continental United States.

XM-3 is the tenth Boeing 702 manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, Calif. The Boeing 702, the most powerful satellite built today, provides government and commercial customers with 18 kilowatts of total power at beginning of life. Boeing Satellite Systems is the world’s leading manufacturer of government and commercial communications satellites. Boeing Satellite Systems’ manufacturing and process initiatives were validated in 2004 with the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5 certification and Aerospace Standards (AS) 9100 certification.

XM Satellite Radio is America’s leading satellite radio service. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City and Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame, XM Radio broadcasts more than 150 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: 68 one-hundred-percent commercial-free music channels, featuring hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; more than 40 channels of premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and 21 channels of the most advanced traffic and weather information for major metropolitan areas nationwide.

On this mission, a Zenit-3SL launch vehicle lifted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned on the Equator, and inserted the XM-3 commercial digital radio broadcast satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The weight of the spacecraft, fully fueled at the time of launch, was approximately 4703 kg (10,368 lbs). Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the first stage separated and then the payload fairing jettisoned. About five minutes later, the second stage separated from the Block DM upper stage. After the first burn of the Block DM engine, the spacecraft coasted for about 30 minutes. Following this coast, the Block DM made a second burn and then separateed from the spacecraft about 14 minutes later, above the coast of Gabon, Africa.