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O3b mPOWER is a
communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...
system currently under construction and deployment. The first two satellites were launched on 16 December 2022 and commercial service is expected to begin in Q3 2023. Owned and operated by SES, O3b mPOWER initially comprises 11 high-throughput and low- latency satellites in a
medium Earth orbit A medium Earth orbit (MEO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude above a low Earth orbit (LEO) and below a high Earth orbit (HEO) – between above sea level.
(MEO), along with ground infrastructure and intelligent software, to provide multiple terabits of global
broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
connectivity for applications including cellular backhaul to remote rural locations and simultaneous international IP
trunking In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each cli ...
.''SES building a 10-terabit O3b mPower constellation''
SpaceNews, 11 September 2017, Accessed 25 August 2020
''SES orders four more O3b mPower satellites from Boeing''
SpaceNews, 7 August 2020, Accessed 26 August 2020
The O3b mPOWER satellites use fully shapable and steerable
spot beam A spot beam, in telecommunications parlance, is a satellite signal that is specially concentrated in power (i.e. sent by a high-gain antenna) so that it will cover only a limited geographic area on Earth. Spot beams are used so that only Earth stati ...
s that can be shifted and scaled in real time to suit individual users. The satellites will join SES' existing constellation of 20 first-generation
O3b O3b is a satellite constellation in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) owned and operated by SES, and designed to provide low-latency broadband connectivity to remote locations for mobile network operators and internet service providers, maritime, aviat ...
satellites in MEO and operate in conjunction with them and the SES fleet of
geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
satellites.''O3b mPower 1, ..., 11''
Gunter's Space Page, Accessed 26 August 2020.


Satellites

The O3b mPOWER satellites are based on
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...
's multi-orbit BSS-702X satellite bus with an all-electric propulsion system and a payload that can be reprogrammed from the ground to reallocate resources "on the fly". The electronically steered
phased array In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
antennas can provide up to 5000 spot beams per satellite each shaped and pointed as required to specifically distribute power and bandwidth to individual user's terminals and, using the full Ka-band spectrum, enable uncontended speeds from 50
Mbit The megabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information. The prefix mega (symbol M) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 106 (1 million), and therefore :1 megabit = = = 1000 kilobits. The megabit ...
/s up to 10 Gbit/s. With frequency reuse, each O3b mPOWER satellite can deliver hundreds of gigabits in capacity, with multi-terabit capabilities across the full constellation. SES' Adaptive Resource Control (ARC) software and digital payload processing systems synchronise space and ground system resources to electronically control routing, power levels, throughput, and frequency allocation dynamically, in real time.


Coverage

From MEO, the O3b mPOWER satellites can deliver high-bandwidth connectivity between latitudes 50° N and 50° S (covering 96% of the global population) to mobile and/or remote terminals of 0.3 m to 5.5 m, and is expected to find application in the following markets: * Mobility: cruise, commercial shipping, aero * Telecom: telco, mobile network operators, cloud providers * Government: military, government agencies, non-governmental organisations * Enterprise: oil and gas, mining Proposed additional satellites operating in a second medium earth orbit at an inclination of 70° would give near-complete global coverage.


History

In September 2017, SES announced
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...
would build seven "super-powered" medium earth orbit satellites for launch in 2021 to provide flexible and scalable, low-latency satellite-based networks with terabits of throughput, hugely expanding the capacity of the existing constellation of 12 (now 20) first-generation O3b satellites. In March 2018, SES announced partnerships with
Alcan Systems ALCAN Systems GmbH is a telecommunications company based in Darmstadt, Germany. The company is currently developing low-cost smart antenna systems for fixed, mobile, cellular and satellite-communication. These antennae are flat, thin and able to ...
, Isotropic Systems and
Viasat Viasat may refer to: *Viasat (American company) (founded 1986) *Viasat (Nordic television service) (founded 1991) * Danish 1st Division, officially Viasat Divisionen, second-highest football league in Denmark * Viasat Cup, 2006 Danish football tour ...
to develop compact, high-throughput user terminals for the O3b mPOWER system. In September 2019, SES announced it had partnered with satellite payload and network management systems developer, Kythera Space Solutions to develop the ARC (Adaptive Resource Control) software to enable the dynamic control and optimisation of power, throughput, beams and frequency allocation on O3b mPOWER and other future high-throughput satellites (such as the
geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
SES-17, launched in October 2021; in position and fully operational in June 2022). Also in September 2019,
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...
was contracted to launch the first seven O3b mPOWER satellites using
Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX. The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and pay ...
rockets with two launches of four and three satellites planned for 2021. In February 2020, Princess Cruises announced a partnership with SES for early access to the O3b mPOWER system, using a hybrid network of both MEO and geostationary satellites to provide connectivity to its fleet at sea. Also in February 2020, Orange, a user of the first generation O3b system in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
since 2017, announced it would be the first telco to adopt the O3b mPOWER system, to extend its consumer and business broadband services in Africa, providing connectivity to remote locations, starting in the
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
. In August 2020, the order for an additional four O3b mPOWER satellites, also from Boeing, was announced. These satellites will be more powerful than the original seven, increasing the total throughput of the entire O3b mPOWER constellation by 90%. The expected launch pattern for the whole O3b mPOWER constellation was also changed, with SpaceX contracted to provide two further launches on Falcon 9 rockets, each rocket carrying a maximum of three satellites, and the first three satellites expected to launch late in 2021, six more on two launches in 2022, and the final two in 2024. In September 2020, SES and
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...
announced that SES was the
medium Earth orbit A medium Earth orbit (MEO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude above a low Earth orbit (LEO) and below a high Earth orbit (HEO) – between above sea level.
connectivity partner for the Microsoft Azure Orbital ground station service that enables network operators to control their satellite operations and capacity from within the Azure
cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mu ...
service. Under their agreement, SES and Microsoft will jointly invest in Azure Orbital ground stations for the MEO and Earth Observation segments, initially in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, which will be installed and managed by SES. Also, satellite telemetry, tracking and control systems and data ground stations for the O3b mPOWER satellites will be located with Microsoft's Azure edge sites to provide O3b mPOWER customers with "one-hop" access to Azure cloud services. In November 2020, SES announced that
Gilat Gilat ( he, גִּילַת, , Joy) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the western Negev desert between Beersheba and Ofakim, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The moshav ...
and ST Engineering are developing the modem platforms and ground infrastructure for the O3b mPOWER communications system. In December 2020, SES agreed with Australian telco, Pivotel Group Pty to build a new ground station at Pivotel's teleport in
Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
to use the O3b mPOWER system to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity across
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
and the
Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
. In February 2021, SES announced that four of the five top cruise companies have contracted connectivity services using the O3b mPOWER system ahead of the satellites' launch and with the majority extending beyond 2025. In August 2021,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...
became the first
cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mu ...
provider customer for the O3b satellite system, with Microsoft buying managed satellite connectivity services from SES for the
Microsoft Azure Microsoft Azure, often referred to as Azure ( , ), is a cloud computing platform operated by Microsoft for application management via around the world-distributed data centers. Microsoft Azure has multiple capabilities such as software as a ...
cloud service. Microsoft is initially using the existing first generation
O3b O3b is a satellite constellation in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) owned and operated by SES, and designed to provide low-latency broadband connectivity to remote locations for mobile network operators and internet service providers, maritime, aviat ...
satellites, before upgrading to the faster broadband speeds from O3b mPOWER satellites when they come into operation in 2022. In February 2022, SES formed a joint venture with India's biggest telco,
Jio Platforms Jio Platforms is an Indian multinational technology company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Established in 2019, it acts as a holding company for India's largest mobile network operator Jio and other dig ...
(JPL). The newly formed Jio Space Technology Limited will deliver broadband services in India of up to 100Gbps capacity, using both the O3b mPOWER constellation and SES's SES-12 high-throughput
geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
satellite, to extend JPL’s terrestrial network, enhancing access to digital services in unconnected areas within India and the region. JPL and SES will own 51% and 49% equity stake respectively in the new company. In February 2022, Orange announced that, along with SES, it will deploy and manage the first O3b mPOWER gateway in Africa, to provide high-speed, low-latency, and cloud-optimised connectivity services across Africa, and to support telemetry, tracking and command functions for the O3b mPOWER satellites. The gateway will be located at the
Sonatel Sonatel ''()'' is the principal telecommunications provider of Senegal. The company is active in fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, internet service, television and corporate telecommunications. The company is involved in the constructio ...
teleport in Gandoul,
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
. In March 2022, SES announced the acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES), a US-based subsidiary of defence contractor,
Leonardo DRS Leonardo DRS, formerly DRS Technologies, Inc., is a US-based defense contractor. Previously traded on the NYSE, the company was purchased by the Italian firm Finmeccanica (now Leonardo S.p.A.) in October 2008. History Diagnostic/Retrieval Systems, ...
which provides managed satcom services to the US Defence Department and other government agencies. When the transaction is concluded (expected towards the end of 2022 after regulatory approvals) the business will be combined with SES subsidiary, SES Government Solutions, greatly expanding market access for the O3b mPOWER system at the time it is planned to begin operations. In May 2022, SES announced that the revised launch schedule for the O3b mPOWER satellites would see the first six satellites carried two at a time on three launches in the third quarter of 2022, the next three on one rocket in Q4 2022 and the final two in 2024. The start of service for the O3b mPOWER system remains unchanged as the beginning of 2023. This schedule was subsequently changed in August 2022. In May 2022, SES subsidiary SES Government Solutions, in partnership with Earth imaging company Planet Labs PBC, was awarded a US$28.96 million contract from
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
’s Communications Services Project for
real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
, always-on low-latency connectivity services to NASA spacecraft, using SES's
geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitu ...
satellites and
medium Earth orbit A medium Earth orbit (MEO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude above a low Earth orbit (LEO) and below a high Earth orbit (HEO) – between above sea level.
satellites, including the O3b mPOWER constellation. In June 2022, SES announced that it will provide global connectivity services to
MSC Cruises MSC Cruises ( it, MSC Crociere) is an Italian global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping ...
using the O3b mPOWER system. The service will start on the
Explora I Explora can refer to: * Ici Explora Ici Explora (stylized as ICI Explora) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada) that focuses on science, envir ...
, the first ship of MSC's forthcoming luxury cruise line Explora Journeys, expected to enter service in Spring 2023. In August 2022, SES revealed that the O3b mPOWER launch schedule had been revised again. The first six O3b mPOWER satellites would now be carried on three launches in Q4 2022, the fourth launch of O3b mPOWER 7 and 8 would be in 2023 and the fifth, for O3b mPOWER 9, 10 and 11, in 2024. The system was expected to start service in Q2 2023.''SES: Further delays to mPOWER fleet''
Advanced Television. 4 August 2022. Accessed 23 August 2022
In October 2022, SES announced a capacity deal with telco,
Claro Brasil Claro Brasil is a mobile, satellite-television, fixed and broadband telecommunications operator serving Brazil. It was created in 2003 as a result of the union of six regional operators * Americel ( Acre, Federal District, Goiás, Mato Grosso, ...
(through its
Embratel Embratel is a major Brazilian telecommunications company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. The company was the long distance arm of Telebras until it was bought by the U.S. company MCI Communications for 2.65 billion reais during the 1998 break ...
division) to use the O3b mPOWER network to extend its mobile backhaul service serving more than 260,000 inhabitants of the eight cities in the isolated Amazon region. SES already serves other communities in the region with backhaul capacity delivered via its
geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
satellite. The O3b mPOWER network will provide 4 Gbps and will be able to support both 4G and 5G networks. In November 2022, SES announced further delays to the O3b mPOWER launch schedule. The first two O3b mPOWER satellites would now be launched in mid-December 2022, The next four satellites would be carried on two launches in Q1 2023, two more on another launch later in 2023, and the final three satellites launched in 2024. it will take approximately six months after launch for each satellite to reach its designated orbit and for commissioning, and the O3b mPower service is now expected to start in Q3 2023.''SES eagerly awaiting the flexibility O3b mPower promises''
Space News. 11 November 2022. Accessed 3 December 2022
The first two O3b mPOWER satellites were successfully launched from
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the stati ...
in Florida at 5:48 pm local time on 16 December 2022.


List of satellites


See also

*
O3b O3b is a satellite constellation in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) owned and operated by SES, and designed to provide low-latency broadband connectivity to remote locations for mobile network operators and internet service providers, maritime, aviat ...
* SES S.A. *
O3b Networks O3b Networks Ltd. was a network communications service provider building and operating a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation primarily intended to provide voice and data communications to mobile operators and Internet service p ...
* Boeing 702 satellite bus *
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...


References

{{Satellite constellations, state=collapsed Space