As nbn prepares to launch Sky Muster™ II into space on October 5, get the top facts about our satellite.

Pictured: the rocket carrying the first nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite blasting off into space.

The second nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite is being launched into space to help deliver fast broadband to parts of regional, remote, and offshore locations in Australia.

This satellite will be a game changer for Australians who need it most and help them reach their full potential through access to revolutionary fast broadband.

Check out the facts below to blast your way to the nbn™ network:

1. Around three years to build

Three years may seem like a long time, but we want to make sure the process of planning and building is correct, so we can connect more Aussies than ever before. 

2. Weight of the satellite is 6,405kg 

At 6,405kg, this new Sky Muster™ II Satellite is among the largest commercial satellites launched. 

3. Travelling speed of the satellite 

Once above Australia, the satellite will travel at speeds up to 28,000km/h.

Want to know how fast that is? That would be enough to travel around the Earth’s circumference over 15 times per day!

In reality, thanks to how far away its ultimate destination is, it will be locked in geosynchronous orbit, always hovering above Australia.

4. Greater capacity for Aussies served by satellite 

The second satellite will raise the Sky Muster™ system to 135Gbps of capacity.

This means the total Sky Muster™ Satellite system capacity is more than 30 times the total capacity of initial Interim Satellite Service (ISS) that was previously available.

Pictured: The nbn™ Sky Muster™ II Satellite is no small matter!

5. 24 satellite dishes at 10 sites across the country 

Greater broadband capacity will be available after the launch of Sky Muster™ II, with our full 135Gbps of capacity now actually available over the whole of Australia and five offshore locations including Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, Lord Howe, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands.

The nbn™ network is designed to ensure that all Australians will have access to fast broadband, no matter where they live.

6. Do you have your face blasted on the rocket? 

Following the ‘Blast your Face into Space’ competition?

More than 700 images have been stitched together to create the artwork on the nose of the rocket.

If you were a winner in the ‘blast your face into space’ promotion, keep an eye out to see the rocket blast your face into space.

7. It won't be just around the corner 

The satellite’s distance to Earth will vary but at its closest will be more than 36,000km away.

This variable distance is due an elliptical orbit, and is a lot further out than the roughly 400km orbit of the International Space Station!

8. Over 40% of the satellite's mass is fuel 

Our satellite will use most of its 2,700kg of fuel in the first two weeks of its life as it finds its way to its orbital ‘parking spot’. 

9. Friends in space? 

Our satellites won’t be lonely in space – there’s over 1,000 active satellites circling the earth right now providing us with communications, weather and research data, along with TV, movies, sports and more. 

For more information on the nbn™ Sky Muster™ Satellite service, check out our Sky Muster™ home page for updates about the launch, and other content about our satellite services.