Optus's 10th satellite to launch next month

Optus will launch its new Ku-band Optus 10 broadcast and communications satellite next month.

The Optus 10 satellite will be launched by an Ariane rocket of the Arianespace company from its Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on Friday, 12 September (Australian time).

Optus plans to use its new craft to provide broadcast, voice data and other satellite services to households, businesses and government departments in Australia and New Zealand.

“This satellite will expand fleet resilience and significantly increase Optus’s fleet capacity, providing greater bandwidth to support the delivery of video, data and voice services to corporate, enterprise and government customers,” Optus Satellite Vice President Paul Sheridan commented.

The satellite was commissioned from satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral. It is expected to have a lifespan of well over 15 years.

Once it is in orbit, Optus will have six satellites in operation and will have launched 10 in total. Arianespace has already launched five of these, dating all the way back to the Optus A3 in 1987. Optus 10 will be sixth.

SingTel subsidiary Optus boasts that it is the only Australian telecom network operator to manage its own fleet of satellites.

Optus noted that the launch date is subject to change dependent on atmospheric conditions and other technical considerations.

Image courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center under CC