XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) today announced the successful launch of its XM-4 satellite. Liftoff occurred this evening at 6:49 pm ET from the Sea Launch Odyssey Launch Platform in open waters of the Pacific Ocean on the equator. The XM-4 satellite was inserted directly into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to an orbital location for in-orbit testing prior to placement in its final orbital position at 115 degrees West Longitude. A ground station in South Africa acquired the first signal from the satellite in orbit as planned.
Built by the Boeing Satellite Development Center, the XM-4 spacecraft carries a high-power S-band Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) payload provided by Alcatel Alenia Space. Replacing two co-located XM satellites currently at 115 degrees, XM-4 will transmit XM Radio’s direct broadcast of digital radio programming to cars, homes, and portable radios throughout the continental United States and Canada.
The XM-4 satellite will have 18 kilowatts of total power at the beginning of life on orbit. Specified for a 15-year lifespan, Sea Launch’s accurate insertion into transfer orbit should provide additional years of service life. This is Sea Launch’s fourth successful launch for XM Satellite Radio, completing previous missions in March 2001, May 2001, and February 2005.
“The launch of the XM-4 satellite is the latest infrastructure milestone for the nation’s leading satellite radio service,” said John Dealy, Senior Advisor, XM Satellite Radio. “The XM satellites deliver the richest complement of entertainment content to the most subscribers in satellite radio. We commend the team of people at Sea Launch, Boeing Satellite, and XM for the dedicated work and expertise that have made this launch phase an unqualified success. XM is now looking forward to similar results from the Boeing Satellite team during in-orbit test and commissioning of XM-4 for full service to the XM Nation of more than 7 million subscribers.”
About XM Satellite Radio
XM (NASDAQ: XMSR) is America’s number one satellite radio company with more than 7 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM’s 2006 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children’s and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota, is available in more than 140 different vehicle models for 2006. XM’s industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.
