International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched the Sirius FM-6 satellite, built by SSL, into orbit on its Proton Breeze M vehicle. It launched from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:09 PM ET 10/25.
This, after a forced reschedule of a 10/21 launch to give engineers time to resolve an unspecified problem with a satellite ground station in South Africa.
The 19-story rocket carried Sirius FM6, a 13,234-pound spacecraft to bolster Sirius XM Radio’s satellite fleet across the US and Canada.
“The first three stages of the Proton used a standard ascent profile to place the orbital unit (Breeze M upper stage and the Sirius FM-6 satellite) into a sub-orbital trajectory. From this point in the mission, the Breeze M performed planned mission maneuvers to advance the orbital unit first to a circular parking orbit, then to an intermediate orbit, followed by a transfer orbit, and finally to a geostationary transfer orbit,” noted a press release.
Separation of the satellite occurred 9 hours and 11 minutes after liftoff. The satellite was built on the SSL 1300 platform. This was the 6th satellite launched by ILS Proton for SiriusXM and the 27th SSL 1300 satellite launched.
Sirius FM-6 has an X-band uplink transponder and an S-band downlink transponder to deliver digital audio radio service. It has 20 Kw end-of-life power and an anticipated service life of 15 years.
The Proton Breeze M vehicle is developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center in Moscow–Russia’s premier space industry manufacturer and majority shareholder in ILS, said the release.
See the launch here:
