The new satellite serving SiriusXM is ready for service.
The company said Sirius FM-6 was placed in orbit successfully. It was made by Space Systems/Loral and launched in late October from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard an International Launch Services Proton.
“All orbit raising, deployments and in-orbit tests are now successfully completed,” the company announced. “The satellite will be situated at 116.15 degrees west longitude, over the western United States, and is designed to operate over North America.”
Co-founder and Technical Director Robert Briskman was quoted by the company saying the new bird “will bolster the reliability and longevity of our satellite fleet for many years to come.”
Below is a promotional YouTube video from manufacturer SS/L, with lots of pix of the 20 kW satellite and discussions of how it differs from earlier Sirius satellites. The project is the seventh bird from the manufacturer for the satellite radio company.
