Optus

The first Optus satellite was AUSSAT 1 launched in 1985 and a total of 10 satellites have been launched, with Optus 10 being the most recent launch in September 2014. The five current Optus satellites are ¹:

• Optus C1: Optus C1 is the world’s largest hybrid commercial and military satellite jointly launched in 2003 by Optus and the Australian Defence Force. The Optus C1 is at 156°E with 24 commercial Ku-band transponders with coverage of Australia, New Zealand, the nearby offshore islands, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and South East Asia. Optus C1 carries subscription TV services and Aurora Free-to-Air radio and television services to remote areas in Australia.
• Optus D1: Optus D1 was launched in October 2006 and replaced Optus B1 at 160°E. It carries 24 Ku-band transponders providing fixed communications and direct television broadcasting services to Australia and New Zealand and specific offshore locations.
• Optus D2: Optus D2 was launched in October 2007 with 24 Ku-band transponders providing FSS, BSS and VSAT services to Australia and New Zealand.
• Optus D3: Optus D3 launched on 22 August 2009 to be collocated with Optus C1 with 32 Ku-band transponders in the BSS band delivering DTH services across Australia. Optus D3 also provides FSS band back up capacity to New Zealand.
• Optus 10: Optus-10 was launched in September 2014 to 164°E collocated with Optus B3. Operating in the Ku-Band, the Optus-10 satellite provides additional capacity to deliver BSS and FSS services through 24 Ku-band transponders across mainland Australia, New Zealand and Australia’s surrounding islands and territories. If needed, Optus 10 provides increased fleet resilience since it can be moved to any slot between 152°E and 164°E.

Optus-11 was planned for launch in late 2023 to provide Ku-band coverage of Australia and New Zealand, supporting flexible concurrent broadcast and broadband services via a very-high-throughput satellite. The spacecraft incorporates advanced onboard digital processing to enable fully configurable services, together with active phased-array antennas generating several thousand steerable beams. ² As of 2025, the launch of Optus-11 has been delayed beyond its original schedule. ³

In addition to the five in-service satellites, Optus looks after NBN Co’s two Sky Muster satellites.