CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A TV broadcasting satellite was blasted into orbit early Friday for EchoStar Communications Corp.
The new satellite should begin beaming programs through the company's Dish Network within a few months. It is the sixth satellite in the EchoStar series; the orbiting network provides some 500 TV channels directly to its 4 million customers.
The middle-of-the-night launch was valued at $250 million, including the satellite and Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Atlas rocket.