On December 13th at 17:30 UTC, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Onboard was SiriusXM’s SXM-7, the seventh satellite in their constellation that provides satellite radio. According to the company, SXM-7 will replace the XM-3 satellite, which launched on a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL in 2005, back when XM radio was an independent company.
Most of the SiriusXM satellites are in geostationary orbit. SXM-7 was deployed into a 234 by 19,380 km orbit at a 27-degree inclination. This is lower than a typical 250 km by 35,786 km geostationary transfer orbit. The change was needed so the first stage had enough fuel for landing as it sent the over seven metric ton satellite into orbit.
For those of you keeping track at home, this launch marked the 102nd successful Falcon 9 launch and the 69th successful first stage landing. This was the seventh flight for B1051, and it landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions. Both fairings were recovered from the water. One of the fairings was new and the other was previously flown.
More Information
XM satellite info page (Gunter’s Space page)
