XM-4 Now in Use

XM Satellite Radio is now broadcasting via its two newest satellites.
The company is airing through the recently launched Boeing XM-4 satellite, known as “Blues.”
The combination of “Rhythm,” launched in early 2005, and this new bird will allow the satcaster to deliver digital broadcasts beyond its 15-year contract requirement.
Rhythm and Blues together cost approximately a half-billion dollars, including launch fees and insurance, an XM spokesman told RW Online.
The satellites replace XM’s original satellites, “Rock” and “Roll,” launched in 2001, which will serve as in-orbit spares for the near term.