Sea Launch System launched the next Zenit-3SL rocket at 02:10:31 Moscow
Summer Time (May 8, 2001, at 22:10:31 GMT).
The goal of the launch – inject XM Radio-1 SC of 4.7 t to the target
transfer to geosynchronous orbit with parameters: perigee altitude of
906 km, apogee altitude of 35786 km, inclination of 1.25 deg.
The injection from the parking orbit, reached by Zenit-2S rocket, to
the target orbit was performed by the Upper Stage (US) DM-SL.
XM Radio-1 SC – the second spacecraft built by XM Satellite Radio company
launch by the Sea Launch project. The spacecraft is designed to support
direct radio broadcasting from the geosynchronous orbit at the point
with coordinate of 85 deg. of west latitude.
The launch was performed from the Odyssey launch platform drifting in
the Pacific Ocean at the equator area at 1540 west latitude close to
the Christmas Island.
The launches from the mobile sea launch site are performed by international
Sea Launch company shared by the Boeing (USA), S.P. Korolev Rocket Space
Corporation Energia (Russia), Kvaerner Invest Norge AS (Norway) and
Ukrainian aerospace companies: PO Yuzhmashzavod and M.K. Yangel State
Design Office Yuzhnoye.

S.P. Korolev RSC Energia – prime company on the Sea Launch rocket segment
working in cooperation with over 30 leading aerospace companies in Russia
and also some companies in Ukraine, including outfitting and integration
into the entire System and also development and operation of such components
of the rocket segment as: upper stage DM-SL, complex of automated control
systems for prelaunch processing and launch, US flight control system,
measurement system, hyperholics and gases loading system, testing and
mechanical support equipment for the upper stage.
Prelaunch processing and launch control was performed via radio links
from the control center onboard the Assembly-Command Ship (ACS).
The flight time period up to the SC separation was 1 hour 05 min 10
sec.
US+SC flight control was performed by a special control team which was
formed at S.P. Korolev RSC Energia and stayed at he Mission Control
Center (MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow Area.
It was the 7-th launch from Odyssey platform. The previous took place
on 19.03.2001.