The SES mPOWER constellation will grow by two satellites to offset shortcomings on the initial six. The power troubles, known since August, have been monitored on the first four satellites now in orbit and SES continues to work with Boeing to address what it expects will be limited performance over a limited lifespan for those satellites.
We have made a lot of progress towards identifying the causes of the mPOWER module issues we identified back in August. With four satellites in orbit we collected, quite frankly, a really good amount of data. And now we are in position to not only understand what is happening but also to have a technical fix for the problems.
– Ruy Pinto, SES CEO
Speaking to investors SES CEO Ruy Pinto expressed disappointment that the mPOWER service launch will be delayed by approximately three months to Q2 2024 (hopefully April). The service will not, however, be impacted by the satellite shortcomings. Pinto insists the company took a rather conservative approach to available capacity on the constellation and, other than the brief delay, will not see customers impacted by the power problems.
He also added, “We are working hard and extensively with our partner supplier Boeing to make sure we understand the causes of the anomalies we have observed in space. And, more important, that we have a solid plan moving forward to deploy the mPOWER constellation.”
Additional satellites for the mPOWER constellation
Pinto notes that the flexibility of the constellation means adding additional capacity is relatively easy, assuming it can source satellites that work better. To that end, he confirms that mPOWER satellites F7 through F11 will be upgraded to address the power problems on the first six. Additionally, F12 and F13 will be added to the constellation.
While Pinto describes the delivery of these two bonus satellites as coming in “record time” they are not expected in orbit until 2026 per the company’s updated launch timeline. They follow the F5/F6 launch planned for NET 12 November 2023 and the F7/F8 launch anticipated in H2 2024. Satellites F9-F11 are expected to join the constellation in orbit in 2025.
Also of note given the launch schedule, the F5/F6 satellites will not receive the rework to avoid the same performance problems of the initial four satellites. Those updates will only fly on F7 and later satellites. This is, perhaps, an advantage of the multi-satellite constellation approach as SES chooses to launch the “broken” satellites now and backfill with future capacity rather than fix the two satellites which are currently at Cape Canaveral awaiting launch in a couple weeks.
Unclear insurance proceeds
The cost of the two additional satellites will be borne within the existing SES CapEx envelope, according to Pinto, with SES and Boeing sharing the risk for getting the constellation into service. SES will also potentially pursue an insurance claim for the reduced performance and lifespan. Pinto notes the insurance angle “is still being investigated and depends on the performance of the satellites in orbit.”
An additional claim would be brutal for an insurance segment already hit by significant failures this year. Viasat expects to realize more than $750 million in claims for its ViaSat-3 F1 and (Inmarsat) I5-F2 failures, both announced earlier this summer.
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