SpaceX launches the ninth and tenth O3b mPOWER satellites on July 22. Photo: SES

The ninth and tenth satellites in SES’s mPOWER connectivity constellation in Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) are now operational, expanding the constellation’s capacity, the company announced on Thursday.

O3b mPOWER provides connectivity services to the global market including governments, telcos, and cruise lines. Three additional satellites are scheduled to launch, completing the 13-satellite constellation, in the second half of this year. SES began delivering commercial service from the satellites in April 2024.

“This added capacity strengthens what we can deliver today and it’s a clear signal of what’s coming next,” SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said. “With 10 of 13 satellites launched and three more scheduled later this year, we’re on track to fully deploy O3b mPOWER and bring a further significant increase in capacity by 2027.”

The pair of satellites uses payload power modules that are different from the first six launched. The power modules were redesigned by Boeing after four of the first satellites had issues with their power modules.

SpaceX launched the two satellites on July 22 from Cape Canaveral.