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Delivery of O3b mPOWER satellites set to complete constellation for high-speed service

The Boeing-built spacecraft will enable SES to enhance connectivity worldwide for mobile users, governments and more.

September 02, 2026 in Commercial, Satellites, Space

Machine in vertical format, no people, with silver-looking hexagon panels O3b mPOWER’s F11, F12 and F13 satellites stacked atop each other before being transferred from El Segundo, CA to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (Photo by by Alex Aristei)

Boeing completed the manufacturing and delivery of the final three O3b mPOWER satellites – F11, F12 and F13 – to space solutions provider SES. This delivery marks the successful conclusion of the program's initial 13-satellite constellation, a historic milestone for the long-term strategic partnership between the companies.

Why it matters: Delivering the final three spacecraft allows SES to significantly increase medium Earth orbit (MEO) network capacity, the system’s ability to successfully transmit digital data and deliver uninterrupted global broadband.

  • “The delivery of these final three satellites allows us to ramp up our constellation's capabilities to meet growing commercial and government demand,” said Xavier Bertran, chief product and innovation officer of SES. “The performance we are seeing from the 10 satellites already on orbit validates this architecture. The completion of the O3b mPOWER system reinforces our proven leadership in MEO while advancing our innovation roadmap.”
  • Active customers using SES’s MEO network include cruise lines, government organizations, civil entities, mobile operators and commercial airlines.

How it works: Boeing’s payload technology enables the satellites to dynamically route bandwidth, focus beam power, and adjust capacity in real time to match shifting consumer demand. These capabilities enable people to access internet where they otherwise couldn’t — including students in remote places being able to connect online for schoolwork and physicians in small villages being able to provide telehealth support.

Driving the news: The track record established by the active O3b mPOWER constellation on orbit serves as the technical baseline for critical national security systems. Boeing is using a hardened version of this proven software-defined payload architecture for military SATCOM (MILSATCOM) programs to design and build the U.S. Space Force’s Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)-11 and WGS-12 systems, alongside Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS). With the 702X spacecraft platform flying the O3b mPOWER software-defined payload, Boeing has produced a standardized dual-use system optimized for quick-delivery, high-performance constellations in any orbit.

Boeing is leveraging space-proven, commercially matured hardware for defense programs. By transitioning these mature, commercial systems to national defense applications, Boeing offers its joint-force customers an established manufacturing line that aims to minimize schedule risk.

“The fully operational O3b mPOWER constellation proves the effectiveness of our software-defined payload technologies, shown by our ability to secure the most demanding missions of our commercial, joint-force and allied military customers,” said Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. “Our continued partnership with SES demonstrates our commitment to customer priorities and our ability to innovate technology and push the boundaries of what's possible in satellite communications.”

Next steps: Boeing and SES will prepare for the satellites’ launch from the Florida Space Coast scheduled for September, with an expectation to enter service in mid-2027 following orbit raising and initialization activities.

By Mallory Beard