SpaceX celebrates its 700th Falcon launch, sending three O3b mPOWER satellites into orbit

At exactly 2:49 p.m. EDT on September 13, the familiar rumble of a Falcon 9 rose from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket carried three brand‑new telecom satellites destined for Luxembourg‑based SES’s O3b mPOWER constellation.

This wasn’t just any launch. SpaceX announced that it was the 700th flight for the Falcon family—a lineage that began with the modest Falcon 1 back in March 2006. That little‑engineered rocket flew five times, managed two successful missions, and then gave way to the workhorse Falcon 9 in 2010. Since then the nine‑meter‑tall booster has shouldered the bulk of the family’s payloads, while the heavyweight Falcon Heavy has only logged a dozen‑plus flights.

The day’s launch used booster B1080, a veteran of 28 previous flights. About nine minutes after liftoff the first stage made a textbook return, splashing down on the autonomous drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. This was the booster’s 29th mission – a testament to SpaceX’s re‑use philosophy.

While the first stage rested in the ocean, the upper stage kept humming, accelerating the payloads toward a medium‑Earth orbit roughly 5,000 miles (8,000 km) above the planet. Starting about 33.5 minutes after liftoff, the three satellites were released one after another over a 14‑minute window, gently drifting into their assigned slots.

Each O3b mPOWER satellite, built by Boeing, tips the scales at about 3,750 pounds (1,700 kg). They are purpose‑engineered to offer ultra‑low latency, high‑throughput connectivity for industries where a dropped link simply isn’t an option – think financial trading floors, autonomous‑vehicle networks, and remote‑sensing platforms. SES already operates ten of these spacecraft; today’s trio brings the constellation to a full thirteen, completing the network’s intended coverage.

“It transforms how networks operate by pairing advanced software‑defined satellites with an intelligent ground and software ecosystem — ensuring guaranteed performance, even as global bandwidth demands surge,” SES explained in a release.

Beyond the telecom payload, the launch added another notch to SpaceX’s busy 2026 calendar. It was the company’s 107th orbital mission of the year – 105 of those on Falcon 9, the remaining two on Falcon Heavy. The firm is also juggling two sub‑orbital Starship test flights this year and gearing up for its first orbital Starship attempt later in the season.

All told, the September 13 launch not only bolstered global connectivity but also underscored a remarkable milestone for a rocket family that has, over two decades, reshaped how we think about getting things into space.