Mission Schedule:

February 14	Delivery of satellite to Sea Launch Home Port
February 26	Transfer encapsulated satellite from Payload Processing Facility to Assembly and Command Ship
March 3	Transfer Integrated Launch Vehicle from Ship to Launch Platform
March 3	Lift Test of Integrated Launch Vehicle on the Launch Pad
March 5 & 7	Vessels depart Home Port for the Launch Site on the Equator ( LP ) ( ACS )
March 18	Launch of XM-2 Satellite

Payload - XM-2 Satellite:
Sea Launch was contracted to lift two XM satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit for XM Satellite Radio Inc., based in Washington, D.C. The satellites - called Rock (XM-2) and Roll (XM-1) - will each transmit up to 100 channels of digital-quality music, news, sports, talk, comedy and children's radio to subscribers across the continental United States. The company is creating and packaging programming at a state-of-the-art, all-digital broadcast center. XM-2/Rock was launched on March 18.

Built by Boeing Satellite Systems of El Segundo, Calif., the 702 model satellites are the most powerful spacecraft built to date. Each will provide 18 kilowatts of total power at beginning of life. To generate such high power, two solar wings employ five panels each of high-efficiency, dual junction gallium arsenide solar cells. To provide 15 years of service, the Boeing 702 carries the flight-proven xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) for on-orbit maneuvering. Boeing Satellite Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites. Alcatel Space of Toulouse, France, provided the high-power, S-band, Digital Audio Radio Service payloads for both spacecraft.

Mission Profile:
The launch of XM-2/Rock placed a commercial digital radio broadcast satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The weight of the spacecraft, fully fueled at the time of launch, was 10,287 lbs (4,666 kg). Launching from its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude at 2:33:30 pm PST, Sea Launch inserted the spacecraft directly into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

All systems onboard the three-stage expendable launch vehicle performed nominally. The Block DM upper stage separated from the spacecraft some 1,600 miles over the Indian Ocean, one hour and five minutes into the mission. Operators at a ground station in Perth, Australia, acquired a signal from the satellite at approximately 3:43 p.m. PST. XM-2 is now operating in its final position in Geostationary Orbit at 115 degrees West Longitude.

Launch Coverage