SpaceX reached a significant operational milestone on September 13, 2026★, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during an 87-minute window that opened at 2:49 p.m. EDT. The flight was the company's 700th Falcon rocket launch — a figure that speaks to the pace at which the workhorse vehicle has reshaped commercial access to orbit over the past decade and a half.
The payload was equally notable: three final satellites for SES's O3b mPOWER system.
Two Milestones, One Launch
The flight carried dual significance beyond its payload. SLC-40 recorded its 400th orbital launch with this mission, underscoring the pad's central role in the commercial launch cadence that has defined the modern era of space access. Together, the 700-launch and 400-pad-flight figures illustrate how a single launch provider and a single pad have come to anchor a substantial share of global orbital traffic★.
For SES, completing the O3b mPOWER constellation marks the culmination of a long-term infrastructure investment★.
The broader picture is one of accelerating commercial satcom infrastructure build-out.
★ AI inference: One or more analytical conclusions in this article were drawn by the AI from cited facts and are not directly stated in the cited sources.