O3b is a satellite constellation in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) owned and operated by SES, and designed to provide lower-latency broadband connectivity to remote locations for mobile network operators and internet service providers, maritime, aviation, and government and defence. It is often referred to as O3b MEO to distinguish these satellites from SES's O3b mPOWER constellation.O3b MEO O3b section title page in SES.com. Accessed 26 May 2021
O3b originally stood for "other three billion", or the other three billion people at the time that did not have stable internet access, and the constellation was initially built, owned and operated by O3b Networks, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of SES in 2016SES Completes Acquisition of 100% of O3b Networks, Business Wire, 1 August 2016, Accessed 26 April 2017 and ownership and operation of the constellation passed to SES Networks, a division of SES. The O3b MEO constellation began offering service in March 2014.
History Initially planned to launch in 2010, GBS to utilize O3b's low-latency network to augment broadband and WiMax services the first four O3b satellites reached orbit on a Soyuz-2 / Fregat-MT launch vehicle by Arianespace on 25 June 2013. After discovering a hardware defect in the initial satellites, O3b postponed the planned September 2013 launch of four additional satellites so repairs could be made., SpaceNews, 1 November 2013, Retrieved 28 October 2020 The second four satellites were launched by the same type of rocket from the Space Center in French Guiana, on 10 July 2014 and the O3b system started full commercial service on 1 September 2014.
The third launch of four took place in December 2014, bringing the satellite constellation to 12 satellites.Third quartet of satellites launched for O3b Networks Spaceflight Now, 19 December 2014, Retrieved 28 October 2020 Four years later, four additional satellites were launched on 9 March 2018 on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Centre Spatial Guyanais.Arianespace Soyuz ST-B launches latest O3b satellites, NASASpaceFlight.com, 9 March 2018, Retrieved 28 October 2020 In December 2018, Thales Alenia Space said that tests on the final four O3b satellites would be completed by the end of January 2019Thales readies 4 satellites for O3b Advanced Television, 19 December 2018, Retrieved 28 October 2020 and the four satellites were successfully launched on 4 April 2019.Four New Satellites Ride Into Space To Join Growing SES Constellation, SPACE.com, 4 April 2019, Retrieved 28 October 2020
In 2010, operators in the Cook Islands, O3b Networks and Telecom Cook Islands Sign Long Term Agreement on Bandwidth Provision for Internet Connectivity Pakistan Pak Datacom Limited signs exclusive national capacity agreement with O3b Networks to deploy high-speed internet to Pakistan and Nigeria O3b Networks signs deal with Netcom, Nigeria to provide fast and reliable connectivity to ships and offshore platforms were among the first to prebook capacity on the O3b constellation to serve their respective markets.
In 2010, O3b announced the selection of Europe Media Port to be the first provider of Gateway Teleport services for O3b's global network O3b Selects Europe Media Port (EMP) as its First Gateway Teleport Operator for New High Capacity Data Network and a contract with Viasat for the production and installation of Ka-band infrastructure.Interview with Mark Rigolle, Chief Executive Officer, O3B Networks SatNews, 29 March 2010, Retrieved 28 October 2020
In July 2014, SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense), a subsidiary of (then O3b investor, now owner) SES, received approval to offer O3b services on their General Services Administration (GSA) schedule allowing SES GS to be the first distribution partner to offer O3b capability directly to the U.S. Government.
In November 2014, MS Quantum of the Seas became the first cruise ship to provide fast internet to guests through O3b Networks. The service is branded "Voom" by its cruise line, Royal Caribbean International and it was subsequently rolled out to every ship in their fleet.Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas Wows with Smart Ship Technology Conde Nast Traveller, 21 November 2014, Accessed 28 October 2020 Royal Caribbean to add high speed internet to every ship in the fleet by May 1st Royal Caribbean, 29 April 2016, Accessed 28 October 2020
In August 2015, SES subsidiary, SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense) agreed on a one-year contract with US government scientific agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to supply O3b services and ground equipment to the National Weather Service Office in American Samoa, expanding NOAA's broadband connectivity outside the continental United States to provide weather, water, and climate data, and forecasts and warnings to American Samoa.
In August 2016, SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense) announced a contract to provide O3b's high throughput, low latency satellite communications for a US Department of Defense end-user. The agreement is for a 365 days-per-year service consisting of a full-duplex symmetric 155 Mbit/s link, gateway access, a transportable 2.4 metre terminal, terrestrial backhaul, and maintenance and installation services, with a latency of under 200 milliseconds per round trip. The contract also provides for additional capacity to meet surge requirements.SES Government Solutions to Provide the US Government with a High-Performance Network FinanzNachrichten.de 29 August 2016. Accessed 30 August 2016
In September 2017, SES announced O3b mPOWER, the next generation of MEO satellites to expand the capacity of the existing O3b constellation of (then) 12 satellites. Initially seven O3b mPOWER satellites were ordered from Boeing for launch in 2021 to provide flexible and scalable, low-latency satellite-based networks with terabits of throughput.SES orders seven satellites from Boeing to help meet growing broadband demand, Spaceflight Now, 12 September 2017, Accessed 27 December 2022
In June 2018, the US Department of Defense signed a single-award blanket purchase agreement with SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense) for MEO high throughput, low latency satellite services including managed broadband services, gateway services, and monitoring and control services, to a maximum of US$516.7 million over a five-year period.DoD signs five-year BPA with SES for medium Earth orbit satellite services Military Embedded Systems, 5 June 2018, Accessed 24 March 2021
In September 2019, SES became a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute services partner to provide dedicated, private network connectivity from sea vessels, aircraft, and industrial or government sites anywhere in the world to the Azure cloud computing service, via both its geostationary satellites and O3b MEO satellites.SES extends reach of Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Advanced Television 9 September 2019. Accessed 28 October 2020
In August 2020 SES contracted Boeing to build four O3b mPOWER satellites in addition to the seven ordered in 2017. SpaceX was contracted for additional launches, to make four launches for the whole O3b mPOWER constellation, expected in 2021–2024.SES taps SpaceX for two additional Falcon 9 launches Space News. 20 August 2020. Accessed 27 January 2023
In September 2020, SES and Microsoft announced that SES was the medium Earth orbit connectivity partner for the Microsoft Azure Orbital ground station service that enables network operators to control their satellite operations and capacity from within the Azure cloud computing service. Under their agreement, SES and Microsoft will jointly invest in Azure Orbital ground stations for the MEO and Earth Observation segments, initially in the United States, which will be installed and managed by SES. Also, satellite telemetry, tracking and control systems and data ground stations for the O3b mPOWER satellites will be located with Microsoft's Azure edge sites to provide O3b mPOWER customers with "one-hop" access to Azure cloud services.Introducing Azure Orbital: Process satellite data at cloud-scale Microsoft, 22 September 2020, Accessed 28 October 2020
In October 2020, international charity hospital ships provider, Mercy Ships announced it will be using SES's Signature Maritime connectivity services via O3b satellites to provide remote viewing and diagnosis, and remote training on board the Global Mercy, the world's largest civilian hospital ship.SES Provides Connectivity Services for Mercy Ships Via Satellite, 16 October 2020, Accessed 23 March 2021
In February 2021, SES announced two contracts with the US Department of Defense as part of the June 2018 blanket purchase agreement. One is for a portable O3b service to support forward-deployed military personnelWins US DoD Maritime Deal for O3b Via Satellite, 19 February 2021, Accessed 24 March 2021 and the second to provide O3b mission-critical communications without using a commercial gateway in remote locations in Southwest Asia, managed and controlled from an SES Network Operations Center.SES Wins Slew of European Public Broadcast Deals Via Satellite, 22 February 2021, Accessed 24 March 2021
Also in February 2021, SES announced that its Signature Cruise broadband connectivity via O3b will be used on Virgin Voyages' latest ships Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady to provide passengers with free fast onboard wi-fi internet access.Virgin invests in high-speed satellite communications Riviera, 24 February 2021, Accessed 24 March 2021
In June 2021, SES joined the Amazon Web Services Direct Connect Delivery Partner programme, using the O3b constellation (and SES' fleet of geostationary satellites) to provide customers access to AWS cloud-based applications and services from locations around the world with limited or no terrestrial communications, and to provide the cloud provider a backup network if their infrastructure fails.SES strengthens Amazon Web Services cloud partnership SpaceNews. 18 June 2021. Accessed 28 June 2021
In August 2021, Microsoft became the first cloud provider customer for O3b, with Microsoft buying managed satellite connectivity services from SES for the Microsoft Azure cloud computing service. Microsoft is initially using the existing first generation O3b satellites, later upgrading to the faster broadband speeds from second generation O3b mPOWER satellites.O3b mPOWER get first cloud customer, on track for launch even as COVID-19 issues loom SpaceNews. 17 August 2021. Accessed 2 September 2021
In December 2021, SES's wholly owned subsidiary SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense) announced that the US Army has conducted trials of commercial satellite constellations in multiple orbits, including the O3b satellite system, as part of the effort to establish Multi-Domain Operations.US Army Uses SES MEO Technology in Multi-Orbit Tests Via Satellite. 7 December 2021. Accessed 31 December 2021
In December 2021, Honeywell, Hughes Network Systems and SES demonstrated multi-orbit high-speed airborne connectivity for military customers using Honeywell's JetWave MCX terminal and a Hughes HM-series modem, and SES satellites in both medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO). The tests achieved full duplex data rates of more than 40 megabits per second via a number of SES' (GEO) satellites including GovSat-1, and the O3b satellite constellation, with connections moving between GEO/MEO links in under 30 sec.Honeywell, SES, and Hughes Demonstrate MEO to GEO Satellite Switching for Military Customers Via Satellite. 20 December 2021. Accessed 31 January 2022