SpaceX has completed its work on the 13-satellite O3b mPower constellation for SES while maintaining a rapid launch cadence for its own Starlink network, which now exceeds 11,000 operational spacecraft and adds over 500,000 subscribers monthly.
While the aerospace industry frequently treats SpaceX as a dedicated provider for its own massive mega-constellation, the company continues to carve out significant room on its manifest for external enterprise infrastructure. A Falcon 9 flight lifting off from Cape Canaveral carried the final three satellites for SES’s O3b mPower constellation, concluding a project that began more than a decade ago when Boeing and SES first signed SpaceX on for the work.
Medium Earth Orbit Versus the Low-Earth Shell
The newly deployed satellites—tagged F11, F12, and F13—are headed for medium Earth orbit at approximately 5,000 miles up. That operational neighborhood sits more than ten times higher than Starlink’s primary low Earth orbit shell, which orbits around 340 miles up, but remains far below traditional geostationary satellites stationed at 22,000 miles.
Because those medium Earth orbit spacecraft operate at a greater altitude, SES required only 13 satellites total to build a network offering steady service that would otherwise demand thousands of spacecraft in a lower shell. The architecture serves a distinctly different clientele than consumer broadband.
While Starlink focuses on volume markets including individual homes, RVs, small businesses, aviation, and maritime customers, O3b mPower bypasses consumers entirely. The system delivers enterprise-grade connectivity tailored for airlines, cruise lines, offshore energy operators, telecommunications backhaul providers, and government clients.
Financial Realities and Subscriber Growth
Beyond external commercial payloads, SpaceX’s internal financial engine relies heavily on the rapid expansion of its primary internet segment. The company has been adding averaging more than 500,000 net subscriber additions per month, driving strong increases in sales and operational leverage.
Morningstar analysts noted that Starlink recorded an 86% increase in adjusted EBITDA between 2024 and 2025, while its total subscriber count doubled. Some market watchers project the subscriber base will reach between 35 million and 45 million by the end of the decade.
That steady commercial revenue is critical for near-term operations. Even with proceeds from its initial public offering and a follow-on bond offering, the combined entity posted a $541 million loss last quarter, though that figure marked an improvement from a $1 billion loss during the same period the prior year.
Launch Cadence and Booster Milestones
Operating two distinct coastal launch sites allows the company to balance external commercial deliveries with internal constellation deployment. Falcon 9 missions from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California handle the bulk of dedicated Starlink flights, while Florida facilities manage a mix of national security payloads, commercial customers like SES, and high-frequency internet batches.
Booster reusability remains central to maintaining that tempo. Flight operations have seen landings routinely executed on autonomous droneships stationed in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, such as A Shortfall of Gravitas and Of Course I Still Love You.
De-Orbit Safety and Atmospheric Re-Entry Realities
As thousands of older spacecraft reach the end of their approximately five-year operational lifespans, SpaceX has faced scrutiny regarding how hardware behaves during atmospheric disposal. While the company previously maintained that retired hardware would completely burn up, updated disclosures indicate that approximately 5% of the mass of the entire satellite could survive re-entry.
The primary surviving mass consists of silicon from solar cells, which features a high melting point and low ballistic coefficient. According to engineering data released by the company, any surviving silicon fragments land with less than one joule of energy—comparable to the energy required to lift an apple.
However, magnetic ceramic materials found inside inductor and transformer cores can also survive. SpaceX reported that it is actively limiting the size and the mass of each inductor core, accepting increased system design complexity and reduced efficiency to mitigate potential ground risks.
Tracking by astronomer and satellite watcher Jonathan McDowell indicates that Starlink already consists of more than 11,000 operational spacecraft, with the vast majority remaining active in operational slots as engineers refine atmospheric disposal protocols for subsequent generations.
