Boeing delivers final three O3b mPOWER satellites to SES
Boeing has delivered the final three satellites that will complete SES’s O3b mPOWER medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation, the companies announced on 2 September 2026. The spacecraft—designated F11, F12 and F13—are set to launch later this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission and are expected to enter service in mid-2027.
What these satellites add to the constellation
The three newly delivered satellites will add incremental capacity to strengthen the performance and resilience of SES’s existing 10-satellite O3b mPOWER fleet. O3b mPOWER serves mobility, government, enterprise and cloud customers. According to SES, the performance from the 10 satellites already on orbit validates the architecture of the system; the completion of the full constellation is intended to ramp up capabilities to meet growing commercial and government demand.
Spacecraft platform and heritage
The satellites were built on Boeing’s 702X spacecraft platform and feature software-defined payloads. The 702X configuration also supports some of the U.S. Space Force’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellites, reflecting a common commercial and government heritage in the platform. SES began delivering O3b mPOWER service in 2024; the most recent two satellites entered service in March 2026.
Technical and program background
The O3b mPOWER program has not been free of technical challenges. The first four satellites in the constellation experienced issues with onboard power modules, which led SES and Boeing to implement upgrades for satellites seven through 11 and to add satellites 12 and 13 to the manifest. SES disclosed in a late July 2026 financial update that the operator collected $15 million on the insurance claim for the satellites in the second quarter, and that the insurance claim totals $218 million to date.
How O3b mPOWER fits SES’s wider MEO strategy
SES describes its next-generation MEO investment as the “meoSphere,” a network-of-networks concept that combines existing assets, the IRIS² constellation, and next-generation satellites within a software-defined, flexible platform. Earlier in the same week as the Boeing deliveries, SES ordered 18 MEO satellites from German manufacturer OHB for its MEO contribution to the European Commission’s IRIS² program.
Launch plans and timeline
The three Boeing-built satellites are scheduled to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 later this month. SES states the delivered spacecraft are expected to enter service in mid-2027, following launch, on-orbit testing and integration with the existing O3b mPOWER network.
Commercial and government customers
SES positions O3b mPOWER to serve a mix of mobility, government, enterprise and cloud customers. The software-defined payloads and MEO architecture are intended to provide high-throughput, low-latency links suitable for maritime, aeronautical and other mobility markets as well as for government and cloud interconnect services.
Context and implications
The completion of the O3b mPOWER constellation marks a significant step for SES’s MEO portfolio by restoring planned capacity following early power-module problems on some satellites. The addition of F11–F13 will increase redundancy and throughput capacity in the system and support SES’s broader meoSphere strategy, which aims to interoperate with other networks such as IRIS².
From Boeing’s perspective, delivery of these last three spacecraft completes a commercial manufacturing run on the 702X-based O3b mPOWER program. For SpaceX, the Falcon 9 manifest will continue to serve as a workhorse launcher for a variety of medium- and large-sized satellites and rideshare missions.
Looking ahead
After launch and commissioning, SES expects the full O3b mPOWER system to be operational by mid-2027. The expanded constellation should enhance SES’s ability to serve high-performance connectivity markets and contributes to the company’s multi-faceted MEO strategy that includes partnerships and procurement for European IRIS² obligations.
Uncertainties remain tied to the timeline for in-orbit testing, integration with SES’s network and the long-term performance of upgraded power systems; SES and Boeing have taken remedial steps following the initial issues, and the firms continue to work within insurance and upgrade frameworks disclosed in SES’s financial reporting.
