Space Systems/Loral reports that XM-5, a satellite that it provided to SIRIUS XM Radio, America's satellite radio company, is performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan.

The satellite's solar arrays deployed on schedule last week, following a successful launch on Thursday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). The satellite fired its main thruster twice since that time to begin maneuvering into geosynchronous orbit.

"XM-5 is a large and powerful satellite," said Rob Briskman, Co-founder and Technical Executive of SIRIUS XM Radio.

"This is the sixth satellite that Space Systems/Loral has built for SIRIUS XM Radio and it is the second to be delivered to geostationary orbit. We couldn't be more pleased with our long term relationship with SS/L and their continuous dedication to quality and reliability."

XM-5 is a 20-kW satellite that will be positioned at 85.2 degrees West Longitude following completion of in-orbit test. XM-5 is intended to serve as an in-orbit spare for the existing fleet of SIRIUS and XM satellites, ensuring that SIRIUS XM's services are reliably delivered to close to 20 million SIRIUS and XM subscribers.

The satellite will also help with delivery of services such as XM NavTraffic(R), which provides real-time traffic information to vehicles in markets across North America.

"Congratulations to SIRIUS XM Radio, ILS and Krunichev, on the successful launch," said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral.

"It has been a privilege to work together with SIRIUS XM over the past 20 years to develop the robust technologies that provide more than 130 channels of audio entertainment across North America."

The XM-5 satellite is designed using the SS/L 1300 spacecraft platform, which has a long history of reliability and provides the power and flexibility for a broad range of applications. With the launch of XM-5, there are 63 SS/L-built 1300 satellites currently in orbit.