SiriusXM Pandora has ordered a new satellite for the company’s satellite radio and datacasting service.
The satellite, SXM-9, will be built by Maxar Technologies, the company’s preferred manufacturer of orbital satellite hardware.
SXM-9 will be built in Palo Alto, California and is based on Maxar’s 1300-class platform, the company said. It is expected to launch into orbit in 2024.
“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,” Robert Curbeam, the senior vice president of space capture at Maxar, said in a statement.
Maxar has built orbital satellite systems for SiriusXM since 2000, including satellites used by its predecessor company, Sirius Satellite Radio.
Last month, SiriusXM and Maxar put into orbit a new satellite SXM-8, that will take the place of a satellite unit headed for de-commission. The event came several months after SiriusXM and Maxar launched SXM-7, which was declared a total loss after it reached orbit.
