XM 5

Description

XM-5, a telecommunication satellite, was launched from Baikonur on 14 October 2010 at 18:53 UT by a Proton rocket. XM 5 will fire an on-board kick engine several times over the next few weeks to reach an orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. Controllers will park the satellite at 80° W longitude for a month of in-orbit testing, then the craft will drift to its long term home at 85.2° W longitude. The satellite will be an orbital spare for the XM 3 and XM 4 satellites currently transmitting operational radio signals. XM 5 has two 29.5-foot-diameter unfurlable mesh antennas that will broadcast the Sirius XM Radio's 135 audio channels. The antennas will be connected to an S-band downlink and X-band uplink communications payload. The satellite is designed to last for at least 15 years in space, and will produce nearly 20 kW of power at the end of its mission.