CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Another Russian Proton rocket soared into space from the Kazakstan desert on Friday, this time carrying an innovative communications satellite designed to provide United States motorists with CD-quality sound via radio.
Launch of the satellite known as Sirius 1 came at 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome as the commercial Proton rocket sold by International Launch Services roared to life.
An International Launch Services Proton DM rocket lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with the Sirius-1 satellite on board. SPACE.com image.
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Television pictures of the launch beamed back to the U.S. showed the rocket flying normally into the early morning sky, but mission managers say it will take some six hours for the satellite to reach its intended orbit and separate from the Proton's upper stage.
Built by Loral Space and Communincations and operated by Sirius Satellite Radio of New York City, the plan is to launch another two satellites in September and October and begin broadcasting 50 channels of music and 50 channels of news, talk and entertainment by the end of 2000.Officials say the service will cost $9.95 per month, and requires a car and a special receiver. Sirius has made alliances with several carmakers -- including Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler, and BMW -- which will place Sirius receivers in their new models.
Commercial free
Why offer radio from space?
Consumers aren't happy with the choices they have for audio programming in their cars, said Terrence Sweeney, vice president of marketing for Sirius.
"On one hand you have recorded media, which is incredibly inconvenient to use," Sweeney says. "People listen to radio in the car even with CDs because it's a hassle to take the CDs in and out of the car. The problem with radio is there's as many as 22 minutes of commercials an hour, so radio has become more of a delivery vehicle for advertising than an entertainment medium or information medium."
Sirius officials say their music channels will have no commercials, while talk and entertainment channels -- provided by third-parties like CNBC and the Sci Fi channel -- will have an average of six minutes of commercials per hour, according to Sweeney.
One step closer
In addition to launching the commercial satellite, Friday's Proton apparently successful launch also brought the International Space Station one step closer to its next assembly step.
A version of Russia's workhorse Proton rocket is to be used on July 12 to send the Zvezda service module up to the space station, an event that is some two years behind schedule and has, at times, severely strained relations between space agency managers in the United States and Russia.
Although there are differences in the Proton rocket used Friday and the one that is to be used in a couple of weeks, a disaster involving the Proton rocket - especially in the earliest stages of launch - could have had severe ramifications for the remaining launch schedule this year.
NASA managers and others involved with the station program still have one more Proton launch to wring their hands over.
A Russian government Proton - this one identical to the type that will be used to launch Zvezda - is set for launch early in the morning July 5 at Baikonur (July 4 on the U.S. east coast).
The rocket will be carrying a military communications satellite called Geyser.
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