SpaceX is preparing to launch the latest satellite in the radio broadcast fleet owned by SiriusXM.
The SXM-9 satellite will launch to a geosynchronous transfer orbit after lifting off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Launch is set for the opening of the 90-minute launch window at 11:10 a.m. EST (1610 UTC).
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the mission beginning about one hour prior to liftoff.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, tail number B1076 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a 19th time. It previously supported the launches of CRS-26, Intelsat IS-40e, Ovzon 3 and 10 previous Starlink missions.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1076 is set to touchdown on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ If successful, it will be the 101st booster landing on JRTI and the 379 booster landing to date.
Maxar Technologies (NSYE: MAXR) is once again the satellite manufacturer behind the SXM-9 satellite. The company has built satellites for SiriusXM (NASDAQ: SIRI) going back to 2000 when it manufactured the first-generation Sirius satellites.
SXM-9 is built on Maxar’s1300 series bus as part of a deal that was announced by Maxar back in August 2021.
“Maxar’s 1300-class platform has served as a reliable spacecraft platform for decades, and we’re glad to see SiriusXM will rely on its performance once again,” said Robert Curbeam, Maxar Senior Vice President of Space Capture, in a 2021 statement. “We’re looking forward to continuing our decades-long relationship with SiriusXM.”
This will be the second satellite launched for SiriusXM since the on-orbit failure of SXM-7, which launched back in December 2020. The roughly 8.2-meter-tall (27 ft), 7,000 kg (15,432 lb) SXM-8 launched in June 2021 and completed on-orbit testing a month later.
SXM-9 will be the same dimensions and features a 9 m (29.5 ft) diameter unfurl able reflector antenna, which was manufactured by L3Harris Technologies. L3Harris was also tapped to add its antenna to the forthcoming SXM-10 satellite as well.
