SXM-11 satellite – A SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch Sunday from Cape Canaveral with SiriusXM’s SXM-11, a 7.5-ton satellite meant to replace two aging geostationary spacecraft. The launch window opens at 10:25 p.m. EDT, with weather odds improving as the night goes on.
Sunday night has a familiar rhythm at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station—until the numbers on the clock start to matter. This time. the Falcon 9 is carrying SiriusXM’s SXM-11. a roughly 7.5-ton radio-broadcasting satellite. as part of a refresh meant to keep the company’s signal coverage steady in geostationary Earth orbit.
Liftoff is scheduled for Sunday inside a nearly four-hour window that opens at 10:25 p.m. EDT (0225 UTC). The rocket will depart on an easterly trajectory. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast an 80 percent chance of favorable weather at the opening of the launch window. improving to 90 percent as time goes on. Still, meteorologists are tracking interference from cumulus and anvil clouds.
Launch weather officers warned that flow aloft will be weak and variable. supporting storm motions that are “seabreeze and outflow dependent.” They said the erratic storm behavior is more evident in current model runs. pointing to a higher risk of storms lingering closer to the coast later into the night. Remnant storms and clouds. they added. should gradually diminish as the night wears on during both the primary and backup launch opportunities.
SpaceX is flying the mission on a Falcon 9 booster with tail number B1085. It will be the booster’s 17th flight. Before this, B1085 has launched NASA’s Crew-9, RRT-1 for the U.S. Space Force. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1. Fram2. SiriusXM’s SXM-10. the MTG-S1 weather satellite for Europe. EchoStar XXV. and nine Starlink missions.
A little more than 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1085 will target a landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Just over half an hour into the mission, the satellite deployment begins. The SXM-11 spacecraft, weighing about 15,000 pounds (7.5 tons), will be deployed from the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage a little more than half an hour after launch.
SXM-11’s manufacturer is Lanteris Space Systems, a subsidiary of Texas-based Intuitive Machines. The company—formerly branded as Maxar Space Systems—was acquired by Intuitive Machines in January 2026 for about $800 million.
The purpose is straightforward: SiriusXM said the SXM-11 and SXM-12 satellites were built to replace the XM-5 and Sirius FM-5 satellites, which launched in 2010 and 2009, respectively.
SiriusXM framed the upcoming launch as the start of a long runway in orbit. On its LinkedIn page. SiriusXM wrote: “After years of planning. engineering. testing. and collaboration. SXM-11 is set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and begin its journey to orbit.” The company also said SXM-11 is “the most powerful high-powered satellite in SiriusXM’s fleet. ” adding that it will help enhance signal reception. expand coverage in Alaska. and support delivery of audio entertainment and information services across the United States. Canada. and the Caribbean.
The spacecraft itself is based on the IM-1300 satellite bus. It measures 230 feet tall (70.1 m), and with its solar panels extended, it spans 106 feet (32.3 m). SiriusXM said about 60 percent of the satellite’s 7.5 ton mass comes from the fuel onboard.
SiriusXM’s most recently launched replacement satellite, SXM-10, launched in June 2025. SiriusXM estimated that SXM-10 will remain in service until 2040, citing a financial disclosure to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
There’s a tight connection between what happens on the pad and what happens years from now. The launcher’s timing depends on storms and clouds—then, once the satellite is deployed roughly half an hour later, the work shifts to orbit and uptime.
For this mission, the window runs from 10:25 p.m. EDT into the night, with forecasts improving from an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions to 90 percent later on. SiriusXM’s SXM-11 is set to begin its journey to geostationary orbit as the company moves to refresh the satellites that have been carrying its signals since XM-5 and Sirius FM-5 launched in 2010 and 2009.
SpaceX Falcon 9 SiriusXM SXM-11 SXM-12 satellite launch Cape Canaveral A Shortfall of Gravitas geostationary orbit radio broadcasting
Wait so they’re launching a satellite that weighs 7.5 tons but it’s just for radio? Seems kinda overkill lol.
So the launch is at 10:25 pm right? I don’t get why weather matters that much for a rocket in the dark, but I guess clouds gonna cloud. 80% then 90%… sounds like it’ll probably happen either way.
Does this mean my SiriusXM might stop working if they delay? Like if storms linger near the coast then it’s gonna mess up the signal or something. I swear these satellites are always “refreshing” but my car radio still glitches sometimes.
Falcon 9 tail number B1085… I heard they land it like 8.5 minutes later, but isn’t that like impossible? Also why are they tracking “anvil clouds” like that’s a weather video game. If it’s only to replace two old satellites, shouldn’t they already know the exact coverage issues? Idk.