The first pair of O3b mPower satellites with solutions to power problems that have plagued the previous six in SES’s next-generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) broadband network were successfully launched by SpaceX.

SES, based in Luxembourg, reported that it had communicated with the satellites following their Falcon 9 rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 5:26 p.m. Eastern.

In order to reach their operational orbits, where health tests will verify their suitability for commercial usage, the seventh and eighth O3b mPower satellites are anticipated to employ onboard propulsion for approximately 100 days.

Enhancing mPower

In August 2023, after SpaceX launched the first four spacecraft in the Boeing-built constellation, SES reported that power modules on in-orbit O3b mPower satellites were sometimes tripping off due to electrical problems.

The operator launched the fifth and sixth O3b mPower satellites without making any hardware modifications, despite the fact that the problem drastically shortens operating life and broadband capacity, allowing commercial services to begin in April.

Boeing agreed to supply two more O3b mPower satellites after an initial 11-satellite deal in order to meet initial performance goals for a constellation intended to scale to several gigabits per second of throughput.

“As we increase the number of satellites in our constellation, we also exponentially increase the capacity and efficiency of our network,” SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said.

Customers of O3b mPower include governments like the US and Luxembourg as well as companies like telcos and cruise lines.

Over the course of the following 18 months, SpaceX plans to launch the final five O3b mPower satellites.

SES recently inked a deal to co-lead Europe’s $11 billion IRIS² sovereign broadband constellation aspirations, leading the multi-orbit network’s MEO element. SES also runs a fleet of geostationary spacecraft for TV broadcasting and broadband services.