Updated

Updated · Spaceflight Now · Sep 13

SpaceX Launches 700th Falcon Rocket Carrying 3 Final O3b mPOWER Satellites for SES

Updated

Updated · Spaceflight Now · Sep 13

SpaceX Launches 700th Falcon Rocket Carrying 3 Final O3b mPOWER Satellites for SES

Q: With SpaceX launching SES's final MEO satellites, why won't this revolutionary software-defined network actually enter service until mid-2027?

It will not be fully in service until mid-2027 because launch is only the start of a long commissioning phase. After separation from Falcon 9, the three Boeing-built O3b mPOWER satellites still have to use onboard electric propulsion to climb from their initial transfer orbit to SES’s operating medium-Earth orbit at roughly 8,000 kilometers. Electric orbit-raising is fuel-efficient but relatively slow, typically taking months rather than days. Once in their final orbit, SES and Boeing must complete extensive checkout and commissioning. That includes testing the spacecraft bus, validating the upgraded power systems, calibrating the software-defined payloads, and integrating the satellites into the live network so they can dynamically route bandwidth, steer beams and shift capacity without disrupting customers already using the 10 satellites in service. The delay also reflects caution after earlier O3b mPOWER satellites experienced onboard power-module problems that affected capacity and expected life. SES and Boeing modified later satellites and added spacecraft 12 and 13 to strengthen resilience. Bringing the final trio online therefore requires a careful verification process, not just deployment. So while the 13-satellite constellation is now complete on paper with this launch, the network’s full commercial capability depends on orbit-raising, system testing, and certification. That is why Boeing and SES say the final satellites are expected to enter service around mid-2027.

3 articles · Updated · Spaceflight Now · Sep 13

Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 1849 UTC with SES satellites F11, F12 and F13, completing the launch phase of the 13-spacecraft O3b mPOWER constellation in medium Earth orbit.
B1080 flew its 29th mission and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about 8.5 minutes after launch, marking SpaceX's 661st Falcon booster landing and the vessel's 166th recovery.
The three Boeing-built satellites are the last additions after electrical issues on satellites 5 and 6 cut capacity and expected life, prompting design changes to later spacecraft and the addition of two more satellites.
SES said the 10 satellites already in orbit are validating the system, while Boeing expects the final trio to finish orbit-raising and enter service by mid-2027 to support rising commercial and government demand.

Sources

Spaceflight Now27d ago

SpaceX Launches 700th Falcon Rocket with Final O3b mPOWER Satellites for SES

WESH 2 Orlando27d ago

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches SES O3b mPOWER Mission from Cape Canaveral

Space.com27d ago

SpaceX Launches Final SES O3b mPOWER Satellites on 700th Falcon Mission

8 Sources

With SpaceX launching SES's final MEO satellites, why won't this revolutionary software-defined network actually enter service until mid-2027?

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