ILS International Launch Services (ILS) has successfully carried the SIRIUS FM-5 satellite into orbit on an ILS Proton launch vehicle.
This was the third commercial mission of the year for ILS and the fifth successful Proton launch of 2009. ILS has launched the entire SIRIUS three-satellite constellation, beginning with the first launch in 2000. The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 39 at the cosmodrome at 1:10 a.m. local time on June 30th (3:10 p.m. EDT, 19:10 GMT). After a 9 hour, 14 minute mission, the Breeze M successfully released the SIRIUS FM-5 satellite, weighing over 5.8 metric tons, into geo-transfer orbit. This was the 346th launch for the Proton. The Proton Breeze M vehicle is developed and built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center of Moscow. The SIRIUS FM-5 satellite, located at 96 degrees West, was built on the flight proven Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform and is the fourth satellite in SIRIUS’ constellation, all built by Space Systems/Loral. SIRIUS FM-5 is one of the most powerful satellites constructed with an X-band uplink and an S-band downlink payload. The satellite carries a range of technologies which will allow for highly concentrated transmissions to small, advanced devices.
