The next satellite launch for SiriusXM Satellite Radio is set for Oct. 21.
The countdown begins on the 20th. Though Sirius and XM merged in 2008, they’re still operating separate satellite networks.
Reston, Va.-based International Launch Services is using a Proton rocket to launch Sirius FM-6 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The SSL-made Sirius FM-6 satellite is a high-power satellite with an expected 15-year geostationary service life.
This is the last launch for the company for a while. Speaking from a cash flow perspective, SiriusXM EVP/CFO David Frear recently told stock analysts at the Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference the satcaster doesn’t anticipate starting another launch build program until probably late 2016, with the next actual launch set for 2019. He ballparked a projected build cost at about $300 million per satellite, according to a transcript from Seeking Alpha.
