The second pair of O3b mPOWER satellites will join the first two satellites launched in December 2022, which have arrived at their target medium earth orbit (MEO) and are currently undergoing in-orbit check out.

The O3b mPOWER system will offer network services to deliver latency and service.

Comprising an initial constellation of 11 satellites built by Boeing, the O3b mPOWER ecosystem is scalable and requires six MEO satellites to provide connectivity services around the globe, SES claimed.

Additionally, SES is working closely with ground system partners to virtualise and standardise a variety of platforms on the O3b mPOWER network to serve mobility, telecom, government, and enterprise customers.

“Our team has been working with more than 30 technology partners to prepare the O3b mPOWER space and ground segments to offer the differentiated and high-performance services that our customers need to run their operations,” said SES CEO Steve Collar.

“We have already rolled out and tested O3b mPOWER terminals over the existing O3b constellation, and are delighted to hear positive customer feedback about their increased reliability and performance, as well as the ease of self-installation, activation, and maintenance.”

“As we near completion on the remaining satellites, we’re excited to showcase on-orbit how our fully flexible 702X payload architecture allows operators to adapt to changing business needs and reallocate resources instantly,” said Space Mission Systems Boeing Defense, Space & Security vice president Michelle Parker.

O3b mPOWER commercial service is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2023. Key customers who have signed up for the next-gen system include Microsoft, Princess Cruises, Marlink, Jio Platforms, Orange, Claro Brasil, Vodafone Cook Islands, the Government of Luxembourg (subject to parliamentary approval) and the newly-announced CNT Ecuador.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 02 May 2023.