SpaceX’s two-stage reusable rocket will take off for its 101st flight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday.
The Falcon 9 is made up of three components: a reusable first part, an expendable second one, and a reusable fairing.
The rocket will carry a satellite to be used for radio services across North America.
Sirius XM’s seven tonne SXM-7 satellite is set to replace the XM 3.
The SXM-7 will generate more than 20kW of power and its massive antenna reflector makes broadcast to radio possible without large antennas on the ground.
Static fire test complete – targeting Falcon 9 launch of SXM-7 for @SIRIUSXM from SLC-40 in Florida on Friday, December 11
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 8, 2020
Here's how you can track Falcon 9's progress:
You can watch the launch live here at 11.20am Eastern Time (4.20pm GMT). You can also check the website Heavens Above to track the flight, which also provides sighting times for your specific location.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched 24 times this year, making this the 25th trip of 2020.
This is one of two satellite launches for Sirius XM with the SXM-8 taking off in early 2021 – both aiming to replace the XM-3 and XM-4 satellites.
Each of the two new satellites have a lifetime of 15 years after which they will be moved to a “graveyard orbit”.
