DIRECTV, Inc., ordered a new satellite from Hughes Space and Communications Company (HSC), today Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc., in 1998. The new spacecraft, called DIRECTV 1-R, is a Hughes 601HP model satellite that was launched in October 1999. The Boeing 601 body is composed of two modules. The first contains the primary bus structure that carries all launch vehicle loads and contains the propulsion subsystem, bus electronics and battery packs. The second payload module is a structure of honeycomb shelves that hold the communications equipment, electronics and isothermal heat pipes. Reflectors, antenna feeds and solar arrays mount directly to the payload module, and antenna configurations can be placed on three faces of the bus.