SpaceX launched its first customer mission of the month shortly after midnight on Saturday morning with a Falcon 9 flight heading to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The late-night launch of the SXM-10 satellite for SiriusXM, a satellite radio company, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:54 a.m. EDT (0454 UTC).
SpaceX used Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1085, to launch Saturday’s mission, which was its eighth flight. It previously launched mission such as the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost/ispace Resilience landers, NASA’s Crew-9 and the GPS III Space Vehicle 07 satellite.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster landed on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ This marked the 112th booster landing on this vessel and the 458th booster landing to date.
The SXM-10 satellite was manufactured by Maxar Technologies in response to a build order received from SiriusXM in August 2021. The company began manufacturing Sirius satellites starting with the first generation in 2000.
These third-generation satellites are built on Macao’s 1300-class platform satellite bus, which is the base for more than 90 satellites currently on orbit.
SiriusXM reported the conclusion of on-orbit testing and checkouts for the SXM-9 satellite in late January, following its launch in December. The satellite is more than 27 feet tall and more than 100 feet long with its solar arrays extended.
Its wet mass is nearly 6,400 kg. The SXM-9 satellite also included an S-band antenna, which was developed by L3Harris Technologies that unfurled following deployment.
“At Maxar Space Systems, we take pride in partnering with innovative companies like SiriusXM that push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Chris Johnson, CEO of Maxar Space Systems, in a Jan. 29 statement. “The Maxar 1300™ platform is designed with mission adaptability and reliability in mind, making it an ideal choice for the requirements of SXM-9 and the upcoming SXM-10, -11 and -12 satellites. Maxar remains committed to delivering high-quality solutions that allow our customers to innovate and achieve their long-term objectives.”
In its first quarter financial report, SiriusXM reported spending $69 million on satellite construction this quarter with full capital expenditures for all of 2025 to reach about $220 million.
“Longer term, satellite [capital expenditures] is expected to step down sharply through 2028 as remaining launches are completed,” SiriusXM wrote.
Source: Spaceflight Now
--Agencies
