nbn second satellite launch date announced

nbn’s new satellite, Sky Muster II, will blast off 5 October this year from the French Guiana Space Centre in South America. The company says it weights 6.400 kg, making it one of the world’s largest communication satellites, and it is set to orbit 36,000 km into the sky.

The satellite joins its predecessor, Sky Muster, to provide additional data capacity to support delivery of the nbn co’s satellite broadband service and will help bridge Australia’s digital divide for around 400,000 homes and businesses in regional and remote Australia.

nbn has also revealed the first glimpse of the artwork that will be printed on the nosecone of the rocket, which will launch Sky Muster II into orbit. Representing the millions of people in every corner of Australia who will be connected to the nbn network, the mosaic-style image is made up of more than 700 lucky Australians who won the chance to include an image of their face on this historic piece of national infrastructure.

nbn’s Satellite Architect Julia Dickinson said:

“The nbn Sky Muster satellite service is transforming the day-to-day lives of people from all over the country. We are already seeing how access to fast broadband for small businesses and farms in the most remote outback and offshore locations can improve productivity by better enabling the ability to store files in the cloud and avoid lengthy business trips by communicating with customers and suppliers through more reliable videoconferencing.

“To ensure every Australian, no matter where they live, could have the chance to be a part of this history-making moment, we held a nationwide call-out for people to win the opportunity to ‘blast their face into space’. Representing the millions of connections made through the nbn network, the winners’ faces make up a national portrait of our country, which will be printed on the nosecone of the rocket that will launch the Sky Muster II satellite into the sky.

“This is an enormous project and we are doing our best to deliver the nbn Sky Muster service as fast as we can, but reaching all corners of the country will take some time.”