orange-vested workers to the Sea Launch Commander for "mating" with the Zenit 3SL launch rocket. Days later, two cranes lifted the integrated unit onto the Odyssey launch platform - an enormous, glimmering structure sitting upon massive pylons, hovering far above the ocean. In August the satellite was launched into space and settled into its orbit at 121 degrees West Longitude. EchoStar has plans to launch yet another satellite in 2005. Some legal hurdles In June 2002, the FCC revoked EchoStar's license to use Ka-band frequency at 113- degrees West Longitude, citing the company's missed construction milestones and insufficient documentation; but the decision was reversed in November of the same year. EchoStar attempted to acquire Hughes Electronics, owner of DirecTV, in October 2002, only to have the FCC reject its initial proposal. The FCC claimed the resulting merger would create a monopoly in areas with no cable reception, eliminating competition. Both sides restructured the deal, and were again rejected in December 2002; they terminated the merger for good soon after. During the summer of 2003, EchoStar, along with DIRECTV, took on the states of Ohio, Tennessee and North Carolina in separate lawsuits contesting a sales tax placed on satellite television companies, and not local cable television services. The sales tax was local cable operators' response to a competitive edge lost to faster-growing satellite services; EchoStar and DirecTV declared the tax a direct violation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The same summer, the state of Florida slapped EchoStar with an order to cease offering out-of-market television signals. The National Association of Broadcasters declared a victory, charging that EchoStar had been "illegally transmitting distant ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC stations to ineligible subscribers." EchoStar, however, believes that consumers have a right to receive these channels and is continuing to fight in court for the right to provide them. Visit Vault at www.vault.com for insider co