SpaceX successfully launched the 9th and 10th satellites of SES’s O3b mPOWER constellation aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, marking a key milestone in SES’s ambitious expansion of its next-generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) communications system. The launch advances SES’s plan to deliver high-throughput, low-latency connectivity services to enterprise, government, maritime, and mobile customers worldwide.
O3b mPOWER is SES’s second-generation software-defined satellite system, designed to deliver flexible bandwidth services ranging from tens of Mbps to multi-gigabit speeds. Operating at approximately 8,000 km above the Earth, the MEO orbit enables low-latency connections while covering vast geographic areas.
As of this launch, SES now has ten O3b mPOWER satellites in orbit with three more planned for launch in 2026.
“I’m proud of our SES team and partners for continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space to bring critical connectivity where it matters most. Over the past year, our O3b mPOWER services have been transforming industries and empowering our key customers including telco operators, cruise lines, airlines, NATO, the Government of Luxembourg, the Government of United States and many other allied governments,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “With this launch we continue adding incremental capacity to our initial O3b mPOWER constellation, strengthening our MEO network and delivering high throughput and predictable low latency services at scale.”
🌐 Why it Matters: SES’s integration of Intelsat and expansion of the O3b mPOWER constellation highlights a critical divergence in satellite connectivity strategies. While Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Kuiper pursue LEO-centric consumer and mobility models, SES is betting on hybrid GEO/MEO solutions with a focus on SLA-driven enterprise and government markets. The next competitive phase will hinge on scale, latency, resilience, and ground integration.
🌐 We’re tracking the latest developments in space networking. Follow our ongoing coverage at: https://convergedigest.com/category/space/
