Radio broadcaster SiriusXM has placed its latest satellite into operational orbit, several months after the hardware was launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The new satellite, SXM-11, will allow the company to continue offering satellite-based radio listeners with dozens of channels while also supporting and expanding its interactive features through the SiriusXM 360L platform, the company said in a statement.
The satellite will replace XM-5 and is the 15th satellite launched for Sirius, XM and SiriusXM. The company’s broader fleet update also includes SXM-12, which is scheduled to launch in 2027.
SXM-11 weighed more than 15,000 pounds at launch, stands 28 feet tall and spans more than 106 feet with its solar arrays deployed. The spacecraft carries a 30-foot unfurlable S-band reflector designed to support SiriusXM’s satellite audio service across North America.
SiriusXM’s satellite network supports more than 220 million SiriusXM-equipped vehicles across the continent and remains a core distribution platform for the company’s in-car audio service. The network also supports SiriusXM with 360L, which combines satellite coverage with streaming features such as personalization, choice and interactivity.
The satellite system allows SiriusXM to deliver service across broad areas, including places where cellular service may be limited. The company said SXM-11 strengthens its next-generation satellite fleet and reinforces the long-term resilience of its network.
“Bringing SXM-11 into service strengthens our next-generation satellite fleet and reinforces the long-term resilience of our network,” SiriusXM’s Chief Product and Technology Officer Sean Gibbons said in a statement. “For listeners, that means a premium in-car experience with broad, reliable coverage, including where cellular service may be limited.”
Gibbons said SiriusXM with 360L brings together the reach of satellite with the choice and interactivity of streaming “to bring the best of both technologies together in millions of vehicles.”
Intuitive Machines said the handover continues a long-running spacecraft relationship with SiriusXM.
“The handover of SXM-11 represents our 13th spacecraft delivered in partnership with SiriusXM,” said Chris Johnson, the President of Intuitive Machines. “Achieving full commercial operation demonstrates the capability of our IM 1300 platform to meet demanding power, thermal and payload requirements for mission-critical commercial satellite infrastructure.”
SiriusXM and Intuitive Machines are continuing work on SXM-12, the next satellite in the current fleet refresh cycle. Once in service, SXM-12 will further support SiriusXM’s satellite audio and data broadcast operations.
SiriusXM offers dozens of commercial-free linear music streams along with a handful of news, talk, comedy and sports channels. Its latest plan costs $5 per month and allows radio listeners to access live sports play-by-play from professional and college sports organizations along with shoulder programming from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and other leagues.
SiriusXM 360L-equipped tuners can also access hundreds of linear streams and on-demand programs delivered over broadband.
