• 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 final tests
• Departure of the Odyssey Launch Platform
• Departure of the Sea Launch Commander
• Arrival at Equatorial Launch Site, countdown begins
• Launch of XM-4 satellite - vertical launch pic - wide angle pic

Sea Launch carried live coverage of the mission via satellite, as well as streaming video on this website. Click here to see the archived version of the webcast (when available - approximately 90 minutes after the end of the live webcast). Please click here to see our other available archived launch videos.

XM-4 is the 4th Boeing 702 spacecraft manufactured at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, Calif. - and orbited by Sea Launch - for XM Satellite Radio. The high-power S-band satellites have Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) payloads built by Alcatel Alenia Space, in France, to broadcast state-of-the-art digital radio programming directly to cars, homes and portable radios throughout the continental United States and Canada. Designed for a 15-year lifespan, the XM-4 satellite will have 18 kilowatts of total power at the beginning of life on orbit. Boeing is the world's leading manufacturer of geostationary satellites. Sea Launch's previous XM missions were successfully completed in March 2001, May 2001 and February 2005.

XM Satellite Radio is America's number one satellite radio service with more than 7 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn., as well as from Toronto and Montreal in Canada. XM broadcasts more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music channels, plus premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.

From its equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, a Zenit-3SL launch vehicle lifted the 5,193 kg (11,448 lbs.) XM-4 commercial DARS satellite to an optimized geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 115 degrees West Longitude, in support of XM's on-going service requirements.

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 separate from the spacecraft about six minutes later, above the East coast of Africa.