Sirius FM-3

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

19:59:47

Thursday November 30, 2000

Mission Details

Sirius FM-3

Wiki

Sirius Satellite Radio (previously known as CD Radio) is a satellite constellation to provide digital radio to mobile receivers in North America. Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is designing and building four satellites called Sirius FM1 to FM4 for CD Radio Inc., which is developing a new satellite-to-car, CD-quality, radio broadcast system for the continental United States. The contract called for SS/L to deliver the high-powered, digital audio radio service (DARS) satellites for launch in 2000. Motorists in cars and trucks equipped with CD Radio's revolutionary new antenna – the size of a silver dollar – will be able to receive broadcasts anywhere in the continental U.S. virtually without distortion. Signals will be transmitted via a new radio band, the S-band (2320-2332.5 MHz). The DARS satellites will be a new generation of SS/L's space-proven SSL-1300 bus. The Sirius Satellite Radio is the first constellation, which operates in an elliptical 24 h orbit ranging from a perigee of 23975 km to an apogee of 46983 km, inclined at 63.4 degrees (Tundra orbit) to provide higher angles of elevation in the northern areas of north America.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

1 Payload

3,800 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Proton K/Block-DM-2

Active 1982 to 2012

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center logo

Manufacturer

Khrunichev

Rocket

Height: 57.64m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 19,000 kg

GTO: 2,400 kg

Liftoff Thrust

9,548 Kilonewtons

Fairing

Diameter: 4.35m

Height: 10.4m

Stages

4

Launch Site

Site 81/23

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Fastest Turnaround

11 days 23 hours

Stats

Proton-K


279th

Mission

14th

Mission of 2000

2000


79th

Orbital launch attempt