Cape Canaveral, Florida – June 7, 2025 – In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, June 7, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched the SXM-10 radio satellite for SiriusXM, further enhancing the satellite radio provider’s in-orbit constellation. A Falcon 9 rocket, taking off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, lifted off at 12:54 a.m. EDT (0454 UTC), marking a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership between SpaceX and SiriusXM.
The launch, initially targeting a window opening at 11:19 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 6, was ultimately pushed to the early hours of Saturday. This mission was the latest in a series of launches designed to refresh and expand SiriusXM’s satellite radio capabilities, ensuring continued and improved service for millions of subscribers across North America.
A Reusable Workhorse: Booster B1085’s Eighth Flight
The mission utilized a flight-proven Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1085, which was on its eighth journey to space. This particular booster has a distinguished flight history, having previously launched notable missions including NASA’s Crew-9 astronaut flight, the RRT-1 mission, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, the Fram2 mission, and three Starlink broadband satellite deployments. The reusability of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 boosters continues to be a cornerstone of their cost-effective and frequent launch operations, a key factor in the increasing accessibility of space.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the Falcon 9 performed a flawless landing on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This precise landing demonstrated SpaceX’s mastery of rocket recovery, a routine but still impressive feat that allows for rapid refurbishment and reuse of these valuable assets. The success of this landing marked the 112th booster landing for “A Shortfall of Gravitas” and the 458th overall booster landing for SpaceX.
SXM-10: The Latest Addition to a Robust Network
The SXM-10 satellite, a high-powered, digital audio radio satellite, was built by Maxar Technologies (formerly SSL) and is based on their flight-proven 1300-class platform. This robust design is the foundation for over 90 satellites currently operating in orbit, showcasing its reliability and versatility. Weighing approximately 14,100 pounds (6,400 kilograms) at launch, SXM-10 is designed to provide over 15 years of service, broadcasting both Sirius and XM content.
The satellite features a large, unfurlable mesh reflector, nearly 10 meters in diameter, which is crucial for delivering SiriusXM programming directly to car radios and other compatible devices without the need for large dish antennas on the ground. This capability is vital for maintaining the ubiquitous nature of satellite radio.
Following its deployment from the Falcon 9’s upper stage into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) about 33 minutes after launch, SXM-10 will undergo a series of maneuvers to reach its final geostationary orbit, joining SiriusXM’s existing constellation. This strategically placed orbit allows the satellite to appear stationary from the ground, providing continuous coverage to subscribers.
A Growing Partnership and Future Launches
The launch of SXM-10 is the second for SiriusXM in a mere six months, following the successful lofting of the SXM-9 satellite in early December 2024. This rapid deployment of new satellites highlights SiriusXM’s commitment to modernizing and enhancing its broadcasting infrastructure. The company has also commissioned Maxar for future satellites, with SXM-11 and SXM-12 expected to follow, demonstrating a long-term investment in their satellite radio service.
For SpaceX, the SXM-10 mission further cemented its dominant position in the commercial launch market. This was SpaceX’s 69th Falcon 9 launch of 2025, with a significant majority of these missions dedicated to building out the company’s own Starlink broadband megaconstellation. However, the successful deployment of commercial payloads like SXM-10 remains a critical component of SpaceX’s diverse launch manifest.
As dawn broke over Florida’s Space Coast, the successful launch and landing of the Falcon 9 underscored the continued advancements in space technology and the enduring partnership between SpaceX and companies like SiriusXM, working together to deliver critical services from orbit. The smooth execution of the SXM-10 mission serves as another testament to the reliability and efficiency of SpaceX’s launch capabilities, paving the way for future endeavors in commercial space.
