SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL – as seen with a fluttering US Flag and all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026 – just days ahead of our nations 250th birthday celebrations on July 4. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
PORT CANAVERAL, FL – The scorched and blackened veteran 1st stage Falcon 9 booster [B1085.17] used in the SpaceX SiriusXM SXM mission successfully launched on June 28 has arrived safely back in Port Canaveral, FL – just in time to celebrate our nations looming 250th Birthday!
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Jean Wright /SpaceUpClose.com
We saw the booster on the afternoon of July 1 after it pulled into Port Canaveral atop the A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG), droneship upon which it soft landed some eight minutes later – and with legs still deployed
Our viewing of this veteran Falcon 9 booster B1085.17 coincided with setting up our cameras at pad 41 for the ULA Atlas V Leo 8 mission
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Jean Wright /SpaceUpClose.com
Its another busy week of Space Coast launches!
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
“We made a quick trip to Port Canaveral today [July 1] after setting up remotes for tonight’s ULA/Amazon launch overnight targeting 12:30 a.m. ET, July 2,” said Jean Wright of Space UpClose
“Here’s a few shots of SpaceX SXM-11 booster. Celebrating our country’s accomplishments and our 250th Birthday!!!” said Jean Wright.
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL – as seen with a fluttering US Flag and all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026 – just days ahead of our nations 250th birthday celebrations on July 4. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Jean Wright/SpaceUpClose.com
The veteran Falcon 9 launched the SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on Sunday, June 28, at 10:25 p.m. ET, (0225 UTC) to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Long duration Fisheye streak image to orbit with nearly Full Moon: SpaceX Falcon 9 launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As seen from Space View Park, Titusville, FL, along the Indian River Lagoon. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Enjoy our photos taken by Ken Kremer and Jean Wright taken for Space UpClose of the 1st stage booster back in Port today as well as previously of the launch on June 28 taken in Space View Park, Titusville
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
This was the 17th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1085.17 supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2, SXM-10, MTG-S1, EchoStar XXV, and nine Starlink missions.
After stage separation, the first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Long duration timelapse streak image to orbit: SpaceX Falcon 9 launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As seen from Space View Park, Titusville, FL, along the Indian River Lagoon. Credit: Jean Wright/SpaceUpClose.com
The flights goal is to replace two aging Sirius radio broadcasting satellites already in geostationary earth orbit (GEO) with the 7.5 ton SXM-11 satellite.
The SXM-11 satellite, weighing about 15,000 pounds (7.5 tons), was deployed from the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage about 34 minutes after liftoff.
Lanteris Space Systems, a subsidiary of Texas-based Intuitive Machines, has built two new satellites SXM-11 and SXM-12. They will replace the older SiriusXM XM-5 and Sirius FM-5 satellites, which were launched in 2010 and 2009
“SXM-11 will help enhance signal reception, expand coverage in Alaska, and support the delivery of audio entertainment and information services across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean,” SiriusXM wrote on its LinkedIn page
Ken Kremer recent TV interview about SpaceX Starfall Demo mission on WFTV ABC News Orlando
Jun 19/20/21/22 WFTV ABC News Orlando: Watch my commentary about SpaceX Starfall mission. New test flight demo to return cargo and in space manufacturing samples and products inside cylindrical discs – for parachute assisted splashdowns
SpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Jean Wright /SpaceUpClose.comSpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comSpaceX Falcon 9 recovered booster B1085.17 sails back into Port, Canaveral, FL as seen with all 4 legs still deployed on July 1, 2026. This Falcon 9 1st stage launched SiriusXM SXM-11 mission on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Ken Kremer and Jean Wright attend just launched SpaceX SiriusXM SXM-11 mission in background overhead on June 28, 2026 at 10:25 p.m. ET, to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As seen from Space View Park, Titusville, FL, along the Indian River Lagoon. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.
CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – The last launch is looming for the most powerful version of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket nicknamed ‘The Bruiser’ – as it sits poised for liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast just past midnight early Thursday morning July 2 carrying another batch of satellites for Amazons Leo broadband constellation of commercial
SPACE VIEW PARK, TITUSVILLE, FL – We watched an “absolutely beautiful” night launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 hurling the 7.5 ton SiriusXM SXM-11 radio-broadcasting satellite mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit on Sunday night, June 28, from Space View Park in Titusville, FL along the Indian River lagoon into nearly cloud free and moonlit skies above. Space View Park was
