The final puzzle pieces have finally clicked into place. On September 13, 2026, SpaceX launched the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth satellites for SES’s O3b mPOWER constellation, completing a MEO network built around an elegant architecture principle: only six satellites are required to provide continuous, uninterrupted global coverage. The network was already delivering smooth handoffs and continuous connectivity with ten satellites already in orbit. These three new satellites aren’t about enabling baseline coverage; they’re about expanding what that coverage can do.
SES had already solved the main problem facing satellite networks…how to deliver reliable, always-on connectivity without depending on massive constellations of thousands of satellites. MEO positioning, where satellites sit about 5,000 miles above the Earth, is how the O3b mPOWER architecture accomplishes this.
With 13 spacecraft in the constellation, SES is significantly increasing the data throughput available to customers. The network can now simultaneously serve more users, support more demanding applications, and deliver gigabits-per-second performance to customers operating in underserved and remote regions. For government agencies coordinating critical missions, maritime vessels at sea, aircraft in flight, and enterprises managing global operations, this means the network can support heavier, more intensive workloads.
Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, framed the launch as an “investment in our customers’ future,” and the specifics support that. The company continues expanding the capacity, resilience, and flexibility required to deliver reliable, high-performance connectivity around the world. A more robust network means more capacity to deliver when customers need it.
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