[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-18-10] International Launch Services (ILS) carried Sirius XM Radio’s XM-5 satellite into orbit on an ILS Proton rocket from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, ILS announced Oct. 15. 
    XM-5, the fifth Sirius XM satellite to be launched on an ILS Proton, was placed at 80 degrees West but will be moved to its final destination at 85.2 degrees West after 30 days of in-orbit testing. The high-power satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral to serve as an in-orbit spare for the existing fleet of Sirius and XM satellites. 
    “The successful launch of XM-5 bolsters our continuity of services and will help ensure Sirius XM Radio’s audio and data services are reliably delivered to our customers,” Sirius SM Executive Vice President and CFO David Frear said in a statement.        
    Seperately, Sirius XM Radio announced it raised $700 million from a senior note sale that closed on Oct 13. The satellite broadcaster said the deal was increased from an originally planned $550 million debt sale. Sirius XM did not disclose how the funds would be used.
    While the XM-5 launch and the financing drive capped a big day for the satellite broadcaster, the company also finds itself part of an investigation by Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray. Cordray’s office confirmed that the attorney general is leading a team of legal officials from four states and the District of Columbia to investigate Sirius XM’s billing practices, customer solicitation and subscription and account management after a series of complaints were filed by consumers. Sirius XM disclosed the probe in an Oct. 13 regulatory filing.
    The attorney general’s office cited a report by the Better Business Bureau, which showed 3,462 complaints had been filed against Sirius XM in the past 36 months and that half of them involve billing or collection issues.
    Sirius XM declined to comment on the investigation.

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