Boeing said Nov. 13 the satellites with redesigned power modules were sent via truck from its facilities in El Segundo, California, and are due to arrive at Cape Canaveral in Florida next week for their December SpaceX launch.<snip>The seventh and eighth satellites were set to launch last year before efforts to redesign power modules on future O3b mPower spacecraft delayed the rollout.<snip>To achieve the constellation’s original performance expectations, Boeing is building two more satellites beyond its initial 11-satellite O3b mPower contract.In an earnings call Nov. 7, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said the pair of upgraded satellites slated to launch next month will add a “meaningful increase in much-needed incremental capacity where we have more demand from customers than we have available supply to support them today.”He said the next three satellites are due for launch in mid-2025, followed by the final pair at the end of 2026.“From 2027, we will have triple the available capacity and we’ll have a powerful constellation with seven fully capable satellites plus the initial six impaired satellites as spares,” he said.Sandeep Jalan, SES’ chief financial officer, said on the earnings call that the operator is still working on a $472 million insurance claim to recoup O3b mPower losses.“It’s not a straight loss claim,” Jalan said, “it takes a little bit more time than a normal straight claim because the satellites are functioning, but they are not functioning at the originally intended design and the capacity. “They are far inferior, and that’s why we have to take impairment, and that whole insurance claim is geared towards that.”Boeing has also disclosed $315 million of losses on a satellite contract to meet life cycle commitments for a customer a source close to the company confirmed is SES, adding to the manufacturer’s financial woes.Despite issues with the first O3b mPower satellites, SES recently announced [Sep 13] a $200 million contract to provide connectivity from the constellation to NATO members for three years, with two one-year extension options.<snip>
SN Boeing ships first two redesigned O3b mPower satellites, Jason Rainbow, November 13QuoteBoeing said Nov. 13 the satellites with redesigned power modules were sent via truck from its facilities in El Segundo, California, and are due to arrive at Cape Canaveral in Florida next week for their December SpaceX launch.<snip>The seventh and eighth satellites were set to launch last year before efforts to redesign power modules on future O3b mPower spacecraft delayed the rollout.<snip>To achieve the constellation’s original performance expectations, Boeing is building two more satellites beyond its initial 11-satellite O3b mPower contract.In an earnings call Nov. 7, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said the pair of upgraded satellites slated to launch next month will add a “meaningful increase in much-needed incremental capacity where we have more demand from customers than we have available supply to support them today.”He said the next three satellites are due for launch in mid-2025, followed by the final pair at the end of 2026.“From 2027, we will have triple the available capacity and we’ll have a powerful constellation with seven fully capable satellites plus the initial six impaired satellites as spares,” he said.Sandeep Jalan, SES’ chief financial officer, said on the earnings call that the operator is still working on a $472 million insurance claim to recoup O3b mPower losses.“It’s not a straight loss claim,” Jalan said, “it takes a little bit more time than a normal straight claim because the satellites are functioning, but they are not functioning at the originally intended design and the capacity. “They are far inferior, and that’s why we have to take impairment, and that whole insurance claim is geared towards that.”Boeing has also disclosed $315 million of losses on a satellite contract to meet life cycle commitments for a customer a source close to the company confirmed is SES, adding to the manufacturer’s financial woes.Despite issues with the first O3b mPower satellites, SES recently announced [Sep 13] a $200 million contract to provide connectivity from the constellation to NATO members for three years, with two one-year extension options.<snip>