On June 30, 2009 at 23.15 (Moscow time) the "Sirius FM5” satellite was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The satellite was delivered to orbit by the "Proton-M” Russian rocket-carrier equipped with the "Breeze-M” booster (upper stage).
The Sirius FM5 mission is the 5th Proton launch of 2009 and the 346th Proton flight overall.
Sirius FM5 is a Communications Satellite. It is a new high-EIRP geostationary satellite launched for Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. It will join the company’s three satellites that broadcast 100% commercial-free music, plus sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather and data over the United States.
The satellite constellation now provides over 65 music channels with no advertising, over 70 voice channels (e.g., news, sports, commentary, humor, traffic, weather, etc.) and a few television channels to more than 7 million mobile and fixed subscribers. Service is additionally provided throughout Canada since late 2005.
The launch mass of the satellite is 5840 kg.
The dry mass is 2734 kg.
Dimensions in orbit – 32.4m x 17.4m x 8.2m
Design lifetime is 15 years.
The picture is from www.satnews.com
International Launch Services Inc. (ILS), the US based company with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Proton launch services, and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., an American satellite operator, have signed a contract to launch the satellite on a Proton launch vehicle. The majority interest holder in ILS is Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, the designer and manufacturer of the Proton rocket and the Breeze-M upper stage.
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