26390 - SIRIUS-1

SIRIUS 1 was an American geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by a Proton-K rocket from Baikonur at 22:09 UT on 30 June 2000. It provided 100 S-band channels of commercial-free, digital, CD-quality music, news, and entertainment (including "Car Talk") mainly to motorists in the continental USA. Most broadcasts originated from New York, and the satellite-relayed signals were rebroadcast by a network of 105 transmitters in dense urban areas. Listening required a special, factory-installed receiver and, of course, a monthly subscription fee. Two more Sirius satellites were to be launched in September and October 2000. Sirius 1 was parked near 100 deg-W longitude.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2000-06-30
Launch Vehicle: Proton-K
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan