SpaceX Launches 700th Falcon Rocket and Completes O3b mPOWER Satellite Constellation

SpaceX launched three satellites for SES, its longest-standing commercial customer, on Sunday afternoon from Florida. The mission marked a significant milestone for the company: it was the 700th launch of a Falcon rocket, comprising 687 Falcon 9 launches and 13 Falcon Heavy launches.

The mission, designated O3b mPOWER-F, carried out the final stage of SES’s satellite deployment program by sending satellites F11, F12, and F13 toward medium Earth orbit (MEO). Built by Boeing, these spacecraft are the final three satellites required to complete the O3b mPOWER constellation.

The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:49 p.m. EDT. Despite concerns about changing weather conditions, the launch proceeded successfully. Mission Control must be aware of not only the weather at Cape Canaveral but also the weather at the landing platform which was a few hundred miles off the coast.

A veteran booster returns to flight

For the mission, SpaceX used Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1080. By this point, the booster had accumulated an impressive 29 flights. Its previous missions included four launches to the International Space Station, the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope, SES’s Astra 1P satellite, and 22 groups of Starlink satellites.

The launch also represented another milestone for SLC-40, which is a lauch pad on Cape Canaveral. It was the 400th orbital launch from the facility, with SpaceX responsible for 345 of those missions.

The launch pad underwent major modifications in 2023, including the installation of a tower designed to provide crew and cargo access. This allowed SLC-40 to take on Dragon spacecraft missions beginning in March 2024. Appropriately, B1080 was the booster used to launch the CRS-30 mission, one of the first Dragon missions to depart from the upgraded facility.

After a short eight and a half minutes after liftoff, B1080 successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing marked the 166th time that a Falcon booster had landed on this particular vessel and the 661st successful Falcon booster landing overall.

Completing the O3b mPOWER constellation

The mission brings the O3b mPOWER constellation to a total of 13 satellites operating in medium Earth orbit. According to SES, each satellite has a dry mass of approximately 1,900 kilograms.

The first two O3b mPOWER satellites were launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on December 16, 2022. Additional pairs were subsequently launched in April 2023, November 2023, December 2024, and July 2025.

However, the program encountered a technical problem before the fifth and sixth satellites were launched. Engineers discovered an electrical issue that could reduce both the satellites’ broadband capacity and their expected operational lifespan.

To address the problem, Boeing modified satellites 7 through 11 and added two additional spacecraft to the constellation. Boeing announced in early September 2026 that the final three satellites had been delivered to SES.

According to SES executive Xavier Bertran, the delivery of the final satellites will allow the company to build up the constellation’s capabilities and respond to growing demand from commercial and government customers. He also said that the performance of the ten satellites already in orbit had provided evidence supporting the system’s overall design.

The three newly launched satellites are scheduled to break away from the Falcon 9’s second stage beginning approximately 34 minutes after liftoff. Their deployment will be staggered, with roughly seven minutes between each release.

Boeing expects the satellites to enter commercial service by the middle of 2027. Before that can happen, they must complete a series of orbit-raising maneuvers, system checks, and commissioning procedures.

The completed constellation is intended to provide high-performance connectivity for commercial customers as well as government and military users. Boeing has emphasized that the system’s software-defined payload technology allows it to adapt to demanding communications requirements.

With the final three satellites now in orbit, the O3b mPOWER program has reached an important milestone. The focus will now shift over from launching additional spacecraft to testing, commissioning, and eventually putting the complete constellation into operational service.

C1 Phrasal Verbs

Here are the five phrasal verbs I inserted. They are useful beyond this particular space-related topic.

Phrasal verb	Meaning
carry out	to perform or complete a task, plan, or activity
drop off	to decrease or become lower
take on	to accept responsibility for something or begin doing something
build up	to increase or develop something gradually
break away	to separate or move away from something
shift over	to move from one activity, focus, or position to another

1. Carry out

Definition: To perform or complete something, especially a task, plan, experiment, or operation.

Examples:

1. The engineers carried out several tests before approving the rocket for launch.

2. The government plans to carry out an investigation into the incident.

3. Scientists carried out a series of experiments to determine how the material behaved.

Questions:

1. What kinds of tasks do you regularly have to carry out at work?

2. Why is it important to carefully carry out safety procedures?

3. What scientific experiment would you like to carry out if you had unlimited resources?

2. Drop off

Definition: To decrease in amount, level, quality, or intensity.

Examples:

1. The temperature dropped off significantly after sunset.

2. Sales began to drop off toward the end of the year.

3. The quality of the internet connection dropped off when more people started using it.

Questions:

1. What usually causes customer demand to drop off?

2. Have you ever noticed your motivation drop off after working on something for a long time?

3. What could a company do if its sales suddenly dropped off?

3. Take on

Definition: To accept a responsibility, task, role, or challenge.

Examples:

1. The company decided to take on several new engineers.

2. She agreed to take on responsibility for the project.

3. The spacecraft was designed to take on a variety of demanding missions.

Questions:

1. Would you rather take on more responsibility at work or have a less demanding job?

2. What is the biggest challenge you have ever taken on?

3. Why do some people enjoy taking on difficult tasks?

4. Build up

Definition: To increase, develop, or strengthen something gradually over time.

Examples:

1. The company is trying to build up its reputation in international markets.

2. Regular exercise can help you build up your physical endurance.

3. The satellite network will gradually build up its capacity as more spacecraft are launched.

Questions:

1. What is the best way to build up trust between people?

2. How can someone build up their professional skills?

3. What are some things that can build up gradually and eventually become serious problems?

5. Break away

Definition: To separate or move away from something or someone.

Examples:

1. The spacecraft broke away from the launch vehicle after reaching the appropriate altitude.

2. One member of the team decided to break away and start an independent company.

3. The cyclist broke away from the main group during the final stage of the race.

Questions:

1. Why might an employee decide to break away from a large company and start their own business?

2. Have you ever wanted to break away from a routine or habit?

3. Do you think it is difficult for countries or companies to break away from established systems?

C1 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think companies such as SpaceX invest so heavily in reusable technology?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of relying on private companies for space exploration?

3. How might satellite technology change the way people access the internet in remote areas?

4. Should governments invest more money in space exploration, or should those resources be directed toward problems on Earth?

5. What technological developments do you think could have the greatest impact on everyday life over the next 20 years?

6. If reusable rockets make space launches cheaper, what new industries could potentially develop?

7. How important is international cooperation for the future of space exploration?