Alcatel Space announced that it has completed and delivered to Hughes Space and Communications [GMH] the first of two communications payloads for the two XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] spacecraft.

The payload was shipped last Friday from Alcatel’s plant in Toulouse, France, to Hughes’s satellite factory in El Segundo, Calif., where it will be integrated into a high- powered Hughes 702 bus.Jean-Claude Husson, president and CEO of Alcatel Space, said it is “the largest payload ever made, and we successfully demonstrated our capabilities to meet the challenge of its very high-power requirement.”

The payload provides two powerful S-band downlink channels with a RF power close to 3,000 watts each, a first in the satellite industry, Alcatel Space said. “With a power consumption in excess of 13 kilowatts, the XM payload is the most powerful ever produced,” company officials added

The second payload is scheduled for delivery next month.

In other XM news, the satellite radio provider announced that it is partnering with Avis Rent-A-Car [AVI], exposing the satellite radio service to millions of Avis customers. Avis will offer the new satellite music technology in addition to traditional AM/FM radio to its U.S. customer base.

“We are committed to building awareness among consumers where they play, work and travel: in concert halls, theaters and sporting venues, in trucks, airplanes and boats,” said Steve Cook, XM Satellite Radio’s senior vice president, sales and marketing. “Now, partnering with Avis, XM will reach potential subscribers on their vacations and business trips.”