SES launches final O3b mPOWER satellites, targeting service in 2027

SES has launched the final three spacecraft in its initial O3b mPOWER constellation, completing a 13-satellite deployment for broadband connectivity in medium Earth orbit. The company expects the new spacecraft to enter service by mid-2027.

Satellites 11, 12 and 13 lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 on 13 September. SES records the launch at 2:49pm local time, equivalent to 18:49 UTC.

More capacity for remote connections

Ten O3b mPOWER satellites already operate in the network. SES says the additional spacecraft will expand capacity and flexibility for telecoms, enterprise, government and mobility customers, including those working in remote locations. The existing system offers connections ranging from tens of megabits to multiple gigabits per second at a site.

That makes the next phase commercially significant: SES has more spacecraft in orbit to support the network’s expansion, with service entry expected after the post-launch work.

The work between launch and service

Boeing’s delivery account identifies orbit raising and initialisation as the steps preceding service. Its mid-2027 expectation matches the timetable in SES’s launch announcement.

The manufacturer delivered the three satellites from its El Segundo facility in California. They complete the programme’s initial constellation and use Boeing’s software-defined payload technology, which also feeds into its military satellite work.

A shared technology base

Boeing says a hardened version of the payload architecture supports its Wideband Global SATCOM and Evolved Strategic SATCOM programmes for the US Space Force. The company presents the commercial manufacturing line as a way to reduce schedule risk for those systems.

For SES customers, the immediate milestone is the operational handover. The three new satellites are intended to add capacity and resilience to the network already carrying their connections.