SpaceX launches SiriusXM satellite after lightning, storms pass at Cape Canaveral, Florida
After hours of evening lightning delays and towering clouds, SpaceX crews waited until after midnight to launch SiriusXM's latest geostationary satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 rocket propelled off the pad at 12:54 a.m. Saturday, June 7, and delivered the third-generation, Maxar Space Systems-manufactured SXM-10 satellite into orbit.
"SXM-10 is the latest high-powered satellite joining SiriusXM's fleet, and will help provide continuous, reliable delivery of SiriusXM's audio entertainment and information services to consumers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean," Cori Brendel, a senior software engineer, said during the SpaceX launch webcast.
"There are more than 165 million SiriusXM-equipped vehicles on the road today that rely on SiriusXM's proprietary satellite network," Brendel said.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
Starting shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, June 6, meteorologists issued a series of lightning warnings and a wind advisory for the Space Force installation and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.
The wind advisory remained until effect until 11:55 p.m. — more than a half-hour past the launch window's original 11:19 p.m. opening time.
All told, SpaceX crews pushed back the target liftoff time five times.
The SiriusXM SXM-10 mission clocked in as the 48th orbital rocket launch thus far during 2025 from Florida's Space Coast.
In early December, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the SiriusXM SXM-9 satellite from KSC. Maxar developed the SXM-9 and SXM-10 satellites per a 2021 agreement, with two more in the works.
"SXM-11 and -12 will be twin high-powered digital audio radio satellites, built on Maxar's proven 1300-class platform at the company's manufacturing facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose, California," a Maxar press release said.
"Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000; the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013; and the company's current third-generation satellites, the first one of which started service in 2021," the press release said.
Next on the Eastern Range calendar, SpaceX will launch Axiom Space's commercial astronauts to the International Space Station on a Dragon spacecraft. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:22 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches SiriusXM SXM-10 satellite in post-midnight rocket liftoff
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