In March 1998, Hughes Space and Communications Company (now Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc.) was selected by PanAmSat Corporation to build PAS-6B, a Hughes 601HP spacecraft model, to provide direct-to-home television transmissions in South America. The satellite was launched Dec. 21, 1998. PAS-6B carries the latest technological advancements in satellites: dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells and a xenon ion propulsion system. The solar array on PAS-6B generates 8 kilowatts of power. The xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS, is 10 times more efficient than the propulsion systems currently in use and enables the satellite to carry more payload.