SES selects SpaceX to launch four additional medium orbit (MEO) satellites

The new O3b mPOWER satellites are the new generation of SES's medium orbit (MEO) communications system intended to increase the low-latency, high-performance connectivity services it provides from 2021.

SES has selected SpaceX for the launch of four new satellites O3b mPOWER, the next-generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) communications system.

As with the first seven O3b mPOWER satellites, the four additional satellites will be launched into space from Cape Canaveral aboard rockets Falcon 9. The launch is planned to use four Falcon 9 rockets to support the deployment of all O3b mPOWER satellites.

The SES O3b mPOWER communications system is fully funded and is comprised of 11 high-performance, low-latency satellites, in addition to an automated and intelligent ground infrastructure. Built by Boeing, each satellite will generate thousands of dynamic beams capable of providing connectivity services ranging from 50Mbps to multiple gigabits per second for telecommunications, maritime services or the aeronautical and energy industries.

Governments and institutions around the world will also be able to take advantage of its capabilities. SES announced that Orange and Carnival Cruises will be the first customers of O3b mPOWER. The next generation of medium orbit (MEO) communications builds on SES's expertise and the company's current MEO constellation, O3b, comprised of 20 orbiting satellites. Today, the O3b system provides high-performance communications services to customers operating in nearly 50 countries.

SES and SpaceX revolutionized the industry when in 2013 SES became the first company to launch a commercial geostationary (GEO) satellite with SpaceX, and later pioneered the launch of another satellite on a SpaceX rocket that had been previously launched and recovered after launch. The next release of O3b mPOWER, scheduled for 2021, could also enter the record books, as the terabit-scale capabilities of O3b mPOWER from SES once again represent a disruption in the sector.

Tom Ochinero, Vice President of Commercial Sales at SpaceX, highlights that “SES's selection of SpaceX to support the launch of the full O3b mPOWER constellation is a testament to our deep partnership built over the last decade,” said Tom Ochinero, Vice President of Commercial Sales at SpaceX. “We look forward to continuing to work with SES to make history again through the successful deployment of this new system.”

"O3b mPOWER is the cornerstone of our high-performance, cloud-enabled, multi-orbit network that will serve our enterprise, mobility and government customers for the next decade, and we are just one year removed from its first launch. We have a strong, long-standing partnership with SpaceX and are excited to add to it with additional O3b mPOWER satellite launches that will provide greater power, greater efficiency and substantially increase bandwidth for our leading network." in the industry,” says Steve Collar, CEO of SES.