TAMPA, Fla. - SES, the Luxembourg-based operator, is set to start commercial services in the second quarter of 2024 after SpaceX successfully launched a third pair of O3b mPower satellites on November 12. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a Falcon 9 rocket propelling the satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO).

The separation of the Boeing-built satellites occurred approximately two hours after liftoff, with a time gap of seven minutes between each satellite. SES confirmed successful contact with the satellites post-launch, as they commence their journey to final positions in MEO, propelled by all-electric propulsion systems.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster, as per their customary practice, successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean for reuse. The launch of the fifth and sixth O3b mPower satellites, originally scheduled for June, was postponed due to electrical issues encountered by the first four satellites in orbit.

On October 31, SES revealed that the electrical problems were more severe than initially anticipated, resulting in reduced operational life and broadband capacity. Designed to handle multiple gigabits per second of throughput, ten times more than SES's first-generation O3b satellites, each spacecraft was expected to operate for approximately 10 years.

To address the constellation's performance issues, Boeing, under an amended contract, will provide an additional two O3b mPower satellites along with fixes for the five existing ones, resulting in a delay of approximately one year for their launches. However, the fifth and sixth satellites launched on November 12 are identical to the initial four, without the upgrades.

With this successful launch, SES is on track to deploy an initial commercial service covering 96% of the world's population by the second quarter of 2024. Demonstrating progress, SES deployed and tested more than 160 O3b mPower terminals this year utilizing their existing O3b network, serving enterprise and government customers.

SES spokesperson Suzanne Ong stated that the operator has yet to secure a launch provider for the two additional satellites under the amended Boeing contract. However, it is expected that no further investments will be required due to a risk-sharing agreement with Boeing.

As SES prepares to leverage the capabilities of the O3b mPower constellation, this successful SpaceX launch marks a significant step towards expanding and enhancing global connectivity for both commercial and governmental entities.