Australia launches communications satellite named Sky Muster Thursday October 01,2015

 

The half-a-billion dollar satellite, named Sky Muster by six-year-old Northern Territory student Bailey Brooks, was launched from French Guiana on Thursday October 01,2015

A satellite designed to provide high-speed internet services to 200,000 Australians living in rural areas has been launched from South America.

A 780-tonne rocket carrying the A$500m (£231m; $350m) communications hardware blasted off from French Guiana

The satellite is reported by Australian media to be one of the most expensive commercial satellites ever launched.

It has been described as the "great hope" of Australia's broadband network.

The satellite, known as Sky Muster, is designed to deliver broadband internet services to Australians in remote areas, including Norfolk, Christmas, Macquarie and Cocos islands.

Sky Muster was launched shortly before a smaller Argentinean communications satellite from the same rocket.