A rendering of Airbus OneSat for Optus. Photo: Airbus

Optus has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract for a fully reconfigurable telecommunications satellite based on Airbus’ new OneSat product line. This is Airbus’ first satellite order from Optus, the leading Australian satellite operator, and the company’s fourth OneSat order.

Airbus said in a Thursday release that the Optus 11 spacecraft will include an advanced digital suite to manage the digital payload and operate the end-to-end satellite resources. Optus will also be able to add hosted payloads such as SBAS. Airbus projected the satellite will be in orbit by 2023. 

Optus 11 will deliver broadcast and broadband Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) missions in Ku-band over Australia and New Zealand. Optus intends for the satellite  to improve Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting over the Australasia region, increase reach in the Antarctic and Pacific zones, support growth into mobile markets, and help eliminate connectivity black spots through the Australian Government’s Mobile Black Spot program.

Airbus’ Head of Space Systems, Jean-Marc Nasr commented: “OneSat is a truly disruptive product, both from a manufacturing, and operational point of view, and gives customers the flexibility they need to serve their markets. This contract from [Optus] is a ringing endorsement that our R&D strategy in developing innovative products is the right one.”