SiP molecules have been produced in a molecular free jet apparatus by laser vaporizing a silicon rod in the presence of He doped with phosphine (PH3) gas. Excitation spectra have been observed in the 21200-22350 cm(-1) range by monitoring laser induced fluorescence. Dispersed fluorescence spectra have been recorded out of the upper states of the excitation bands. The ground electronic state is X (2)Pi(i) with the spin-orbit splitting A = -186.774(11) cm(-1), the harmonic wavenumber omega(e)=615.7(6) cm(-1), and the equilibrium internuclear distance r(e)=2.0775(17) Angstrom. Two excited electronic states, A (2)Sigma(+) and B (2)Sigma(+), are observed at T-0=427.4(5) and 21317.1(1) cm(-1), respectively. The harmonic wavenumbers, omega(e), and the equilibrium internuclear distances, r(e), are 680(2) cm(-1) and 1.9658(13) Angstrom, respectively, for the A (2)Sigma(+) state and 455(1) cm(-1) and 2.1278(8) Angstrom, respectively, for the B (2)Sigma(+) state. For the X (2)Pi(i), A (2)Sigma(+), and B (2)Sigma(+) electronic states, RKR potentials have been generated. Franck-Condon factors for the B-X, B-A, and A-X systems have been calculated. A (2)Sigma(+), vsimilar toX (2)Pi(1/2), v+1 perturbations have been observed. A deperturbation procedure has yielded the off-diagonal spin-orbit electronic matrix element equal to 51(8) cm(-1). This work represents the first spectroscopic investigation of the SiP molecule.