A Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket launched a pair of O3B mPOWER communications satellites into orbit as the fifth and sixth of a block of 11 high-throughput communications satellites for a new generation O3B Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation, ordered from Boeing. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral, Florida, US at 2108 GMT on 12 November. The reusable first stage, B1076, on its 9th flight, landed about 685 km down-range on the drone barge A Shortfall of Gravitas.
Falcon 9V1.2FT Block 5 rocket launches O3b MPOWER 5 & 6. Courtesy: SpaceX
The new mPOWER pair was surprisingly launched in an unmodified condition, especially as O3B had warned that the first four satellites in the series were experiencing a power systems tripping issue that threatened both their lifespan and service. Each satellite in the first two pairs is insured for about US$150 million and a claim for a considerable partial insurance loss is expected to be made for the faulty quartet. The decision to launch was partly driven by the service urgency and partly by Boeing’s agreement, in a contract modification, to build a new replacement pair of satellites to make up for the performance shortfall of the earlier ones. Later satellites in the block will be modified to correct the fault, delaying their launches by about one year.
