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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the SXM-8 satellite into orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:26 a.m. on 6 June 2021.

Falcon 9’s first stage booster previously supported SpaceX’s Crew-1 and Crew-2 missions, which launched astronauts to the International Space Station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sirius XM is the leading audio entertainment company in the U.S., and the premier programmer and platform for subscription and digital advertising-supported audio products. Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the U.S. SiriusXM and Pandora together reach more than 100 million people each month with their audio products.

Built by Maxar, the SXM-8 geostationary satellite is a high-powered digital audio radio satellite, which weighs almost 7,000 kg during launch, and is built on Maxar’s 1300-CLASS PLATFORM. SXM-8 is designed to provide service for 15 years or longer. Once on orbit, SXM-8 will unfurl its large antenna reflector that will allow SiriusXM programming to reach mobile radios, such as those in moving vehicles.

According to Paul Estey, Maxar’s Executive Vice President, Space Programs Delivery. “SXM-8, built on Maxar’s proven 1300-class bus, is more than twice as big and powerful as the first-generation SiriusXM constellation built by Maxar.”