Boeing delivers last of its high-speed service satellites

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 2, 2026 — Boeing has delivered the final three O3b mPOWER satellites — F11, F12 and F13 — to SES, completing the program’s initial 13-satellite constellation and adding capacity to the company’s medium Earth orbit network.

“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.”

The O3b mPOWER system is designed to extend internet access to underserved and remote locations, including students connecting online for schoolwork and physicians providing telehealth support in small villages. Users of SES’s MEO network also include government organizations, civil entities, mobile operators, commercial airlines and cruise lines.

Boeing said the operational O3b mPOWER constellation serves as a technical baseline for critical national security systems. A hardened version of the software-defined payload architecture is being applied to military SATCOM programs, including 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, the company describes a standardized dual-use system optimized for quick-delivery, high-performance constellations in any orbit.

The company is leveraging commercially matured, space-proven hardware for defense applications, aiming to reduce schedule risk by transitioning established commercial systems to national defense use.

“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.”

Boeing and SES will prepare the satellites for launch from Florida’s Space Coast in September, with service entry expected in mid-2027 following orbit raising and initialization.