Built by Boeing Satellite Systems, International, Inc., the XM-3 satellite is a 702 model spacecraft, one of the most powerful satellites built today, designed to provide 18 kilowatts of total power at beginning of life. Like its sister spacecraft, XM-1 and XM-2, XM-3 transmits more than 150 channels of digital-quality music, news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming to subscribers across the continental United States. XM-3 was successfully launched into orbit on February 28, 2005.