A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket beat the afternoon storm clouds to orbit on Sunday, September 13, lifting off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:49 p.m. The mission carried the final three O3b mPOWER satellites for Luxembourg-headquartered operator SES into medium-Earth orbit.
The launch was the finishing touch on a 13-satellite constellation that SES has been building out from the Cape. SpaceX had already delivered the ninth and tenth O3b mPOWER satellites for SES back in July 2025, making Sunday's trio the last pieces of the puzzle.
Skywatchers along Florida's Space Coast who caught the rocket climbing through partly cloudy skies were treated to the kind of late-summer launch spectacle the area is known for — a bright streak heading skyward just ahead of incoming thunderstorms.
Looking further down the Eastern Range calendar, a Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station could launch in late September, though NASA has not yet announced an official target date. That flight will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov — also aboard a Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 40.
This report is based on coverage from Florida Today and reporter Rick Neale.
