All systems go as new NBN satellite launches into orbit
1st October, 2015
The successful launch of the first of two NBN satellites this morning is a giant leap forward for the Coalition Government’s plan to deliver high-speed broadband to 400,000 homes in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the launch of the NBN’s new satellite at 6am today will deliver high speed reliable broadband to people in difficult to service areas across the country, including those who cannot access NBN wireless services.
The ‘Sky Muster’ satellite was launched from the Ariane space launch facility in French Guiana, and is the first of two NBN satellites tasked with delivering broadband under the Coalition Government’s Long Term Satellite Service (LTSS).
Mr Truss said the satellite launch was the culmination of a long and complex planning process that has had to overcome technical challenges, as well as the shambolic legacy left behind by the previous Labor Government.
“Labor claimed 250,000 premises were eligible for broadband services under its Interim Satellite Service (ISS) program, however the complete failure of their ISS became apparent from 18 December 2013, when the ISS reached its capacity limit of 48,000 customers.
“This issue was compounded by the fact that the Labor Government mismanaged the service by failing to implement fair use limits on customers, leading to a patchy quality of service that is unusable for many bush communities.
“The ISS has given satellite broadband a bad name, but the new satellite service should restore quality services to the School of the Air, enable modern e-health services and support data transmission and transaction services, even in times of poor weather.
“In terms of its technical accomplishments, the logistics of this satellite launch are staggering. At lift off the entire rocket weighed in at 780 tons. By the time it ejected the payload into orbit at an altitude of 640 kilometres, it was travelling at a velocity of more than 9km per second.
“The launch of this satellite is truly a marvelous feat of planning and engineering. Once online, its onboard Ka-band transponders will enable the NBN to deliver broadband services of up to 25Mbps download and 5Mbps upload to Australians in rural, regional and remote areas,” Mr Truss said.
The photos attached show the complex technical process behind the construction and assembly of the Sky Muster satellite.
The second nbn satellite is scheduled for launch in early 2016. Users will be able to connect to broadband and voice services from around April next year, following beam commissioning and product testing.
To see the launch and learn more about nbn’s satellite broadband service visit: www.nbnco.com.au/skymuster.
