Why SpaceX is finishing another space-internet system that isn’t Starlink - Teslarati

SpaceX launched the final three satellites—F11, F12 and F13—for SES's O3b mPower constellation Sunday, September 13, 2026, aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, completing a project more than a decade in the making since Boeing and SES first contracted SpaceX.
Unlike Starlink's low orbit shell at roughly 340 miles, O3b mPower operates in medium Earth orbit at about 5,000 miles, a middle ground that allowed SES to blanket the globe with just 13 satellites rather than thousands.
The two networks target different buyers: Starlink focuses on high-volume consumer, RV, home, aviation and maritime service, while O3b mPower sells enterprise-grade connectivity to airlines, cruise lines, offshore energy operators, telecoms and governments, provisioned like a dedicated circuit.
A 2023 partnership lets cruise ships blend Starlink's speed with O3b mPower's steady capacity, and Sunday's launch completes the medium-orbit half of that pairing.
The mission marked the 29th flight for this Falcon 9 booster, whose history includes two crewed Axiom missions, ESA's Euclid telescope and 22 Starlink batches, with the planned droneship landing set to be SpaceX's 661st successful booster recovery.
The flight underscored that SpaceX still accommodates outside customers even after pushing Starlink past 11,000 satellites in August, giving SES a finished, niche-focused network while adding another entry to Falcon 9's record.