SpaceX successfully launched three O3b mPOWER communications satellites for the Luxembourg-based company SES on September 13. This mission marked the 700th flight for SpaceX’s Falcon rocket family, a significant milestone in the company’s history. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:49 p.m. EDT (1849 GMT), carrying the final three satellites needed to complete SES’ O3b mPOWER constellation. This constellation aims to provide reliable, high-speed internet services with low latency, especially for industries that rely on constant connectivity, such as finance and healthcare. The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about nine minutes after launch, landing on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This was the 29th flight for the booster, which is part of SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology that helps reduce the cost of space missions. The rocket’s upper stage then deployed the three satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers). This deployment took place over a 14-minute period, beginning roughly 33.5 minutes after launch. SES already had 10 O3b mPOWER satellites in orbit, and the three launched today will complete the full constellation. Each of these satellites, built by Boeing, weighs approximately 3,750 pounds (1,700 kilograms). SpaceX has launched all 13 satellites in the constellation using six Falcon 9 missions since December 2022. The O3b mPOWER system is designed to offer high throughput and flexible connectivity, making it ideal for businesses and organizations that require constant, reliable internet access. The Falcon 9 has been the workhorse of SpaceX’s rocket family, conducting the vast majority of its flights. The Falcon 1, the first rocket in the family, made five flights, with two successful ones, before being retired in 2010. The Falcon Heavy, the only other member of the family, has launched 13 times so far. Today’s launch marked SpaceX’s 107th orbital mission of the year, with the Falcon 9 responsible for 105 of those flights and the Falcon Heavy conducting the remaining two. In addition, SpaceX has already launched two suborbital test flights of its Starship megarocket in 2026 and is preparing for a third, which is expected to be the first orbital flight of the vehicle.