Weather permitting, SpaceX will launch two O3b mPOWER satellites today (July 21st) for SES.
The Boeing-built satellites are number 9 and 10 in the mPOWER fleet.
SpaceX is using a ‘flight proven’ booster stage which will be the sixth flight for the rocket.
The O3b satellites are high-throughput and very adaptable craft which feature Boeing’s fully software-defined payload technology to actively allot power to meet user needs.
“The O3b mPOWER spacecraft are the most capable and flexible commercial satellites to ever operate in space,” said Michelle Parker, VP/Boeing Space Mission Systems. “Many of us have tried to connect from an airplane or cruise ship and found the connection unreliable. Our software-defined payload technology allows SES to deliver high-speed, reliable connectivity, adapting in real-time to user demand. It’s a game changer, and the first eight satellites are showing users just how incredible this technology is.”
The O3b mPOWER system, SES’s second-generation constellation operating in medium Earth orbit (MEO, approximately 8,000 km from Earth’s surface), is designed to transform industries with terabit-level capacity, low latency, and unmatched service availability. These two spacecraft will join the first eight satellites already on orbit.