After a few "dress rehearsals" the Boeing 702 XM-3 satellite finally made it into orbit yesterday. I watched the live Webcast yesterday evening and it was really exciting to watch a launch that is part of something I use everyday.
There are a couple of real nice photos of the launch and you can watch the archived video as well. This page will eventually be archived so the link to this launch will change to whatever the current launch is, but this is a fun site to bookmark if you are interested in commercial space flight.
As an aside, as I watched the launch live via last evening's Webcast and heard a russian accented voice announce repeatedly "... is nominal" (meaning everything is going as planned and is satisfactory) I couldn't help remember the "Sputnik" days of my childhood. Then came Echo, and Telstar. I remember watching a few minutes live from France way back when on our black and white TV. At that time I could not imagine that communication satellite launches would be considered common. Then again, for the folks at Sea Launch, Boeing, and XM a lot was riding on this launch being a success so no launch is "just a launch" to those who have invested time, money, and great expectations.
More than a few XM Satellite Radio subscribers followed this launch which shows that when it affects your life, it is still engaging.
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