Sirius awarded a contract to Space Systems/Loral to build a new satellite, its sixth and all from that vendor.
It will be called Sirius FM-6 and be placed in a highly inclined elliptical orbit, or HIEO.
“Sirius FM-6 will provide nearly double the power of the satellites in Sirius’ existing, in-orbit constellation,” the manufacturer announced. “Scheduled for completion in 2010, the new satellite will provide more than 15 years of service life.” It said Sirius has not announced a launch provider. The bird will carry an X-band uplink and an S-band downlink payload.
“With almost 20 kilowatts end-of-life power, it will be one of the most powerful satellites being built today,” SS/L said. Sirius has three satellites in orbit, a ground spare and a fifth under construction.
