SpaceX successfully launched three Boeing-built O3b mPOWER telecom satellites for SES on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 13, 2026, marking the company’s 700th total Falcon mission and its 107th orbital flight of the year.
Milestone Flight at Cape Canaveral
SpaceX reached a major operational milestone this week. EDT (1849 UTC). This flight pushed the Falcon rocket family to its 700th launch since the vehicle line debuted back in March 2006 with the Falcon 1.
Out of those 700 total flights, 687 have been flown by the workhorse Falcon 9, while the remaining 13 have been handled by the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy. The mission also marked the 400th orbital launch to take flight from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a pad where SpaceX has been responsible for 345 launches.
Completing the O3b mPOWER Constellation
The payloads on this flight were satellites F11, F12, and F13, built by Boeing for Luxembourg-based SES. These spacecraft represent the final three additions to the O3b mPOWER constellation operating in medium Earth orbit (MEO). SES already has 10 of these satellites functioning in MEO, and this final trio brings the total constellation up to 13 spacecraft.
https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2099237998294454546
According to SES, each O3b mPOWER satellite has a dry mass of roughly 1,900 kg (about 3,750 pounds). The satellites were deployed into medium Earth orbit over a 14-minute span beginning roughly 33.5 minutes after liftoff, reaching an altitude of 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers).
The path to completing this constellation involved several engineering adjustments. Earlier in the deployment cycle, specifically prior to launching the fifth and sixth satellites, an electrical issue was uncovered that affected both broadband capacity and estimated operational life. To compensate for the anomaly, manufacturer Boeing and SES modified satellites 7 through 11 and added two extra spacecraft to the original plan.
Xavier Bertran, chief product and innovation officer of SES, noted the significance of the final delivery, stating, “The delivery of these final three satellites allows us to ramp up our constellation’s capabilities to meet growing commercial and government demand.” SES describes the MEO network as being purpose-built to deliver predictable low latency, high throughput, and high flexibility for enterprise networks.
Booster Reuse and Weather Dynamics
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster used for the mPOWER-F mission carried the tail number B1080. This flight marked the 29th time this specific booster has flown, having previously supported four International Space Station missions, the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory, SES’s Astra 1P, and 22 separate batches of Starlink satellite deployments.
Liftoff occurred under marginal weather conditions. The 45th Weather Squadron initially forecast a 60 percent chance of favorable weather at the opening of the window, dropping to 40 percent by the end due to sea breeze dynamics and localized storm risks.
Despite these atmospheric challenges, the rocket cleared the tower successfully. More than 8.5 minutes after liftoff, booster B1080 executed a precise propulsive landing on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the 166th landing on that specific vessel and the 661st successful Falcon booster recovery to date.
