On Sept. 13, 2026, Boeing completed the 13-satellite O3b mPOWER constellation for operator SES following the launch of the final three spacecraft—designated F11, F12, and F13—aboard a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The successful deployment marks the fulfillment of the Medium Earth Orbit network, designed to deliver high-performance connectivity services across commercial, civil, and defense sectors.
The completion of the fleet enables SES to significantly scale up digital service delivery and network throughput globally. The system currently supports bandwidth-intensive requirements for a wide variety of customers, including cruise lines, commercial airlines, mobile network operators, cloud service providers, and government organizations. In remote regions where terrestrial infrastructure remains limited, the expanded capacity is targeted at boosting critical services, such as facilitating online education for remote schools and expanding telehealth operations for village healthcare centers.
Each satellite in the fleet is built upon Boeing’s standardized 702X platform, featuring software-defined payload architecture. This design allows operators to dynamically adapt bandwidth routing, focus beam power, and adjust signal capacity in real time based on geographic demand patterns. Furthermore, Boeing utilizes the space-proven architecture as a standardized dual-use baseline for national security applications, integrating hardened variations of the payload into U.S. Space Force programs such as the Wideband Global SATCOM and Evolved Strategic SATCOM systems.
“More importantly, it reinforces our ability to deliver resilient, secure and scalable connectivity for customers around the world, helping governments, enterprises, cloud providers and mobility customers meet their most critical needs,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “As customer demands continue to evolve, SES is focused on building smarter, more integrated solutions that bring together the strengths of multiple technologies and orbits to deliver seamless connectivity worldwide.“
Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, noted that establishing an active production line for the 702X baseline provides schedule credibility and risk reduction for defense and commercial partners alike.
Following their injection into Medium Earth Orbit, satellites F11, F12, and F13 will undergo orbit-raising procedures, system checks, and initialization protocols over the coming months. The final three satellites are projected to enter full commercial service in mid-2027.
