Advanced Television

O3B

Delays hit launch of SES O3b satellites

The new fleet of SES-owned O3b mPOWER satellites are suffering what CEO Ruy Pinto has described as occasional “hiccups” in their power modules. Corrective measures are being taken but it means a delay to the launch of mPOWER craft No 5 and 6. The two satellites are already much delayed and were expected to be […]

September 19, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES wraps testing of O3b’s latest satellites

SES, following the launch and in-orbit testing of the first two O3b mPOWER satellites, has been performing a series of further system validation tests encompassing both space and ground components, including key Radio Frequency (RF) end-to-end testing. The recent successful RF tests efforts validated many key ground and space infrastructure components, and in particular SES’s […]

September 11, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES H1: Revenue rises 10%

SES reported a healthy rise of 9.8 per cent in overall revenues at €987 million for the six months to June 30th. SES has rebutted recent rumours of further slippage in the launch schedule of next satellites the important mPOWER fleet. SES says two mPOWER craft (satellites 5 and 6) will launch during Q3 and […]

August 3, 2023By Chris Forrester

10 years of O3b

Ten years ago, the first batch of four O3b satellites were successfully launched. July 2014 saw a second batch of four launched into orbit at 8,063 km altitude. Since those early days, SES, which owns the O3b fleet, has grown and now includes the much more powerful mPOWER fleet of craft, orbiting nearby at 8,066 […]

June 29, 2023

Boeing readies mPOWER pair for launch

SES needs six of its O3b/mPOWER satellites in orbit to kick-start its global service. Four are already in orbit out of the eleven that will eventually complete the constellation. Boeing is wrapping up the next two (mPOWER 5 and 6) in readiness for launch in June on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SES CEO Steve […]

May 9, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES revenues up 9.1%

SES returned to positive revenue growth in its full year results. The satellite telecommunications network provider is also now in its 2023 trading year, where the FCC’s long-awaited C-band ‘jam tomorrow’ promise becomes a $3 billion (€2.84bn) positive income. SES issued an impressive set of guidance numbers, including detail that SES-17 and its O3b mPOWER […]

February 27, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES wins Marlink for French Guiana coverage

Marlink, a provider of smart network solutions, is working with SES on a major digital transmission project for French Guiana which intends to “bridge the digital divide” in the country. Marlink has been awarded a Public Service Delegation contract to set up broadband Internet and 4G/5G services via satellite networks covering the entire French region. […]

February 22, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES demos satellite 5G backhaul

SES has demonstrated with Emirates-based telco operator, du, the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East utilising SES’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites. The aim of the live demonstration was to demonstrate how SES’s current O3b constellation could extend 5G coverage to remote locations and support du’s enterprise customers including offshore energy sites with […]

January 16, 2023By Chris Forrester

SES: €980m orders on mPOWER

SES CEO Steve Collar, speaking following the successful launch on December 16th of two O3b/mPOWER satellites, says that its all-important backlog of orders for capacity on the mPOWER fleet has grown to €980 million, up from the €950 million confirmed earlier this year. The backlog covers the mPOWER fleet and usage on board its geostationary […]

December 22, 2022By Chris Forrester

Launch success for mPOWER pair

SpaceX successfully launched two mPOWER satellites for SES and its O3b division on December 16th. Despite a heart-stopping interruption to the launch rocket’s video signal which would normally have shown the rocket’s booster on its floating landing barge, but everything was “nominal” in the booster’s landing and the deployment of the two satellites. Confirmation soon […]

December 19, 2022By Chris Forrester