SpaceX launches 700th Falcon rocket, delivering final O3b mPOWER satellites to orbit
The Falcon rocket family of SpaceX has crossed the mark of 700 launches. The anniversary launch took place on September 13 from pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral: Falcon 9 delivered the last three O3b mPOWER satellites for operator SES to medium Earth orbit.
The F11, F12 and F13 satellites manufactured by Boeing became the final ones in the O3b mPOWER constellation, which now has 13 satellites. According to SES representatives, the new satellites will allow expanding the constellation’s capabilities to meet growing commercial and government demand.
The first stage of Falcon 9 with hull number B1080 made its 29th flight. It previously participated in four missions to the ISS, the launch of the Euclid telescope, the deployment of the Astra 1P satellite, and 22 Starlink batches. After separation, the stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas platform in the Atlantic — this is the 166th landing on this platform and the 661st landing of a Falcon booster overall.
According to Spaceflight Now, out of 700 launches, Falcon 9 accounted for 687 liftoffs, and the heavy Falcon Heavy performed 13 missions. The launch also became the 400th orbital launch from SLC-40, where SpaceX conducted 345 of them.
The O3b mPOWER-F mission launched at 14:49 local time (18:49 UTC). Meteorologists assessed favorable conditions at 60% at the start of the window, dropping to 40% by the end due to possible thunderstorms. Satellite deployment began about 34 minutes after liftoff with a seven-minute interval.
Commissioning of the new satellites is expected by mid-2027 after orbit-raising maneuvers and checks. Previously, some satellites in the series had electrical problems that reduced throughput and service life, so two additional spacecraft were added to the constellation.
For SES, the launch completes the formation of an updated system in medium orbit, and for SpaceX it is another step in refining reusable technologies: the anniversary mission was performed on a first stage that had flown almost 30 times.
Primary source: spaceflightnow.com ↗