Sirius FM-5, also known as Radiosat 5, is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 communications satellite

Communications satellite

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...

 which will be operated by Sirius XM Radio. It was constructed by Space Systems Loral, based on the LS-1300 bus

Satellite bus

A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...

, and carries a single transponder designed to transmit in the NATO E F and I bands (IEEE S and X bands). It will be used to provide satellite radio

Satellite radio

Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...

 broadcasting to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.

Sirius FM-5 was launched by a Proton-M

Proton-M

The Proton-M, GRAU index 8K82M or 8K82KM, is a Russian carrier rocket derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Commercial launches are marketed by International Launch Services , and generally...

/Briz-M

Briz-M

The Briz-M , is a Russian orbit insertion upper stage manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and used on the Proton-M rocket.- Characteristics :...

 rocket flying from Site 200/39

Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200

Site 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome is a launch site used by Proton rockets. It consists of two launch pads, areas 39 and 40. Area 39 is currently used for Proton-M launches, including commercial flights conducted by International Launch Services. Area 40 is currently inactive, as it was slated to...

 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Baikonur Cosmodrome

The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...

. The launch was conducted by International Launch Services

International Launch Services

International Launch Services is a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Proton rocket launch services from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.- Ownership :...

, and occurred at 19:10 GMT on 30 June 2009. Around nine hours after launch, the satellite separated from the carrier rocket into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It will raise itself into geostationary orbit

Geostationary orbit

A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...

 by means of its onboard R-4D apogee motor. It also carries four SPT-100 engines for manoeuvring.

It is the first Sirius Radio satellite to be placed in geostationary orbit; the three previous Sirius satellites operate in tundra orbit

Tundra orbit

Tundra orbit is a type of highly elliptical geosynchronous orbit with a high inclination and an orbital period of one sidereal day . A satellite placed in this orbit spends most of its time over a chosen area of the Earth, a phenomenon known as apogee dwell...

s.