OW29: The Rise of “Super‑SES”

Opening Act:

SES, is finally allowed to swallow the ambitious reboot, Intelsat. After 15 months of courtship, lawsuits, licensing battles, and probably too many biscuits at board meetings, SES has officially closed its $3.1 billion acquisition of Intelsat, with all regulatory hurdles like the FCC finally cleared on 11 July 2025. Today (17 July) marks “Day 1” of the new Super‑SES, boasting ~90 GEO satellites, ~30 MEO, and…wait for it…access to LEO constellations.

Adel Al‑Saleh’s internal memo reads like a self-help manual: “we’ve got your back,” we’ll seamlessly integrate, expect new IoT, D2D, quantum key relays, the works. It’s the corporate equivalent of “look ma, no problems!” delivered with enough buzzwords to confuse even seasoned engineers. And yes, the branding gods decided “multi‑orbit, multi‑band” needed to be uttered at least thrice.

Yet under the PR gloss, the move is a strategic pivot: a bulwark against the relentless momentum of LEO sprinters. Multi‑orbit dominance means the ability to offer customers lower latency, better coverage, and scale, especially to markets like maritime, government, in‑flight connectivity and defense that demand reliability and ubiquity. But at what cost ?

Deeper Dive: What this Mega‑Merger Really Means

By combining GEO, MEO, and tied-in LEO options, SES is rewriting its playbook. Think of it like a chef switching from one oven to a steam-grill-nuke‑solution. Clients addicted to low‑latency services (like cruise ships or airborne networks) may now get better redundancy and global reach.

Cross‑orbit and cross‑band strategy, C‑, Ku‑, Ka‑, Military Ka, X‑band, UHF, you name it. It’s a spectrum buffet. FCC approval even noted “national security benefits” of consolidated licenses. Economies of scale? Check. Savings on double‑handling and maintenance? Check. Synergies to the tune of €2.4 billion NPV, 70% realized in 3 years. That’s serious cash freed for future launches or shareholder swag.

Starlink, Viasat, OneWeb, they’ve been running with the “next-gen LEO” crowd. Now SES Intelsat can punch with both GEO/MEO reliability and LEO-style performance. It’s like if Gandalf suddenly learned lightsaber skills, except everyone already suspects he’s got backup plans.

Pop Culture Parallel

This merger feels like Mel Brooks in powdered wig territory, the History of the World, Part I moment when Louis XVI grins smugly at the camera and reminds you: “It’s good to be the king.”

Because really, what we’re watching is a coronation. SES, now fully fused with Intelsat, is strutting into the satellite throne room with a jeweled scepter made of multi-orbit capability and global licenses. Behind them? A trail of laid-off middle managers, nervous LEO competitors, and the faint scent of C-band auction cash still smoldering in the distance.

And just like Mel’s Louis XVI, they know the perks. Spectrum dominance, premium government contracts, access to every orbit like it’s a royal buffet, and now they get to tell customers, “We’ve got your back” with a straight face while fielding help tickets from three continents and four layers of legacy infrastructure.

Yeah well In the Mel Brooks version of royalty, the party never lasts. There’s always a guillotine somewhere in the wings. SES will need to prove that their new crown isn’t just ceremonial. Because in this industry, you don’t just get to sit on the throne, you have to keep launching, upgrading, and explaining why your latency charts still beat Starlink’s in bad weather.

For now though? Oh yes… it’s good to be the king.

The Real Tech Moves the Headlines Missed

While mainstream media was busy drooling over how many satellites are now under one roof, the real action was happening in the tech stack. Here’s what they mostly skipped:

SES is quietly baking in next-gen, quantum-secure encryption into its satellite network. This is serious cybersecurity muscle, the kind you’d expect in spy thrillers. It’s especially attractive to governments and financial players who want encryption that can survive even quantum computer attacks.

Direct-to-Device (D2D) Connectivity is inching out of the lab and into the real world. Phones talking directly to satellites without needing a cell tower nearby? That’s no longer just for emergencies. SES is inching toward that, which could eventually disrupt rural coverage models, and make mobile operators start sweating.

Cloud and AI Integration is powerful. SES is consolidating all its backend systems into a more cloud-native, AI-assisted platform. That means provisioning services faster, predicting outages before they happen, and getting better insights into how the whole network is behaving. Not glamorous, but foundational.

Of course, there’s a catch. Integrating all this, especially across SES and Intelsat’s legacy systems, is going to be a nightmare. These aren’t Lego sets; they’re complex, expensive networks with years of technical baggage. “Seamless experience” sounds great in an email. Making it work across continents, protocols, and three orbits? That’s where the real engineering starts.

Side Quest #1: NASA’s Budget

Lunar Glory Up Front, Climate Science Out the Back

This week, NASA found itself in the middle of what can only be described as a financial identity crisis. On one side, Congress is throwing money at the agency like it’s Black Friday at a Moonbase Walmart. On the other? JPL is quietly dragging perfectly good satellites into the alley behind HQ and pulling the plug.

Let’s start with the glory budget: The House just approved a $10 billion boost to NASA’s funding. It’s a full-court press for the shiny stuff, Artemis missions, Lunar Gateway, Mars comms relays, and even the strategically named ISS deorbit tug (finally, a space mission literally designed to crash and burn). It’s infrastructure, science, and space diplomacy all wrapped in one big ribbon of political prestige.

But while the House was busy writing the next chapter of Moon: The Sequel, JPL was staging a clearance sale. And not metaphorically. They’ve begun pre-shutdown procedures for a lineup of operational Earth science satellites, Aura, Aqua, Terra, OCO-2/3, CYGNSS, SAGE III, DSCOVR, the ones that quietly track climate, atmosphere, and greenhouse gases while everyone’s watching SLS burn kerosene like it’s on sale.

Even worse? This preemptive axe-swing came before Congress actually approved the proposed science cuts. That’s right, NASA is voluntarily obeying a budget that hasn’t even passed yet, like a kid cleaning their room before their parents ask. It’s either a strategic political gesture or a tragic case of institutional Stockholm syndrome.

Here’s what bugs me. Both things are true. NASA’s flagship programs are being lavishly funded while critical Earth observation missions are being taken offline, because they’re too successful at tracking uncomfortable truths. The optics are surreal: invest in going to the Moon, but unplug the satellites that tell us whether Miami will still exist when we get back.

In short: the Moon is hot, but Earth is politically inconvenient. And if that’s not the most on-brand 2025 space budget story, I don’t know what is.

Side Quest #2: ULA’s Sassy Thrust Crisis

Meanwhile, over at ULA, the Atlas and Vulcan teams are sweating oil. A recent LinkedIn scuttlebutt (“ULA needs more thrutsayers”  https://lnkd.in/egtbGjdY) hints they may be undergunned. Customers expect more payload, faster missions, but rocket performance limits apply.

ULA’s core: RD‑180 derivatives (Atlas V) and BE‑4-powered Vulcan. Both decent, but to stay viable against SpaceX’s Falcon 9/FH pads, they need more thrust-to-weight. Or risk becoming the slow-food gourmet in a fast-food rocket market.

No surprise: ULA’s apologies are as polished as a tuxedo, “we’re investing in next-gen upper stages”, but you can almost hear them muttering, “we underestimated the demand for cheap mass to LEO.”

Without a clear “Atlas-XL” or Vulcan 2.0, they risk losing market share. And if they can’t up thrust affordably, they may be the corporate equivalent of Blockbuster in a post-Netflix world.

Hidden Gem: Smaller Players Navigating Stormy Seas

Between the juggernauts lie the agile:
Satellite integrators and boutique providers are taking advantage of the disruption. As SES focuses on integration, and NASA downsizes core science satellites, opportunists are stepping in, offering hosted payloads, agile missions, mission-specific constellations.

For instance: CubeSat optics providers pitching Earth imaging service, vertically integrated comms startups bundling IoT services, and even maritime VSAT vendors looking to shift to small MEO hops. Tech that was once niche is now filling the void left by giant restructurings.

The Broader Implications

FCC approving mega‑mergers signals one path; but future ones, especially involving space data relay or D2D, may face increased scrutiny. Especially from national security and consumer privacy sides.

SES now has 120+ satellites, but that’s a maintenance nightmare. Those clocks, fuel reserves, retirements, they don’t run themselves. You can bet some legacy GEOs will get pragma’d out in the next years, but those MEO and QKD‑enabled platforms still need constant ops dollars.

For mid-tier operators and LEO challengers, Super‑SES means either: partner or perish. That pressure will spur more acquisitions (hello Viasat‑Hughes rumors), or alliances with cloud majors and telcos.

Enterprises and governments might crave “one throat to choke”, but integrated systems often come with convoluted SLAs, support tiers, and legacy patchworks. Keep an eye on customer service metrics after the integration honeymoon ends.

Final Scene: Look to the Horizon

So what’s next?

Will SES actually roll out that quantum key distribution and inter-satellite relay? Will customers pay extra for it? Or is that just clever packaging for PR purposes? Watch for service announcements (cruise ships, finance, government).

Which GEOs or MEOs are next to go dark? And what about the mothballed Earth science hardware from NASA, could private entities take over?

ULA’s next move: Will they breakthrough with a new engine stage? Or will they lean on government partnerships and unique mission arcs to stay relevant?

Viasat, Hughes, Starlink, they’re responding. Expect bundled service deals, vertical macros, and maybe even arms-race satellite launches.

Closing Optimism

Here’s where we land: We’re watching an industry undergoing growing pains, chunky mergers, radical budget pivots, corporate identity crises disguised as synergy meetings. And in the corner, SpaceX keeps shipping Starlinks like they’re collectible toys.

But optimism? Hell yes. SES + Intelsat has the potential to power rural schools, cruise‐ship karaoke, militarized data relays, quantum‑secure banking, and maybe even set the stage for that long‑teased rover on Europa.

Just don’t lose sight of the satire: two giants merging, NASA holding a satellite fire sale, ULA stuck in first gear, all while Silicon Valley sends payloads to orbit for pocket change. The circus runs on, bigger and louder.

A Toast to the Happy Couple

(and the Slightly Alarmed In-Laws)

Ladies and gentlemen of the satellite congregation, if I could have your attention for just one more orbit…

We are gathered here today to witness the union of SES and Intelsat, two legacy giants, once competitors, now one majestic, multi-orbit hydra with over 120 satellites, countless acronyms, and a shared ambition to conquer latency wherever it hides. It’s not every day you see a marriage arranged by regulators, consummated by market pressure, and officiated by shareholder expectations.

Let’s be honest: there were doubts. Many of us sat in the pews thinking, “Will this be a passionate partnership or just a contractual cohabitation?” But as the cake of synergy is sliced and the bouquet of multi-band coverage is tossed, we can’t help but raise a glass.

To SES, the once-bachelor king of MEO, now tying the knot with GEO royalty.
To Intelsat, now part of something bigger, stronger and with any luck, better at keeping SLA promises.
To all of us, the slightly nervous guests wondering whether we’ll be asked to chip in for the honeymoon constellation.

And let’s not forget the rest of the space family:
NASA, throwing budget confetti at Artemis while quietly selling off Earth science like wedding centerpieces on eBay.
ULA, rehearsing thrust vows in the mirror, still figuring out how to light a proper stage.
And Starlink, the cousin who keeps showing up uninvited and launching ten thousand satellites without RSVP-ing.

So here’s to the future, may the merged entity find joy in quantum keys, peace in spectrum sharing, and endurance through regulatory prenups. And may we, the humble bystanders of the industry, continue to analyze, eyeroll, and occasionally cheer as the next chapter begins.

To love, latency, and LEO.
Cheers. 🥂