A $405.5 million contract renewal with the Department of Defence was won by Optus last week. This will allow Optus to continue to supply services over its C1 satellite until 2034. 

According to the reports, the contract encompasses an upgrade to the Satellite Control Centre of Optus at Belrose in NSW. The contract also includes the installation of two new satellite dishes.

Former Defence minister Linda Reynolds said that the “sovereign controlled satellite communications capability” will allow “real-time operational and logistical information which is essential for the command and control of deployed forces”.

A team was formed between Optus, Raytheon Australia, Thales Australia, and Mitsubishi Electric to bid for the JP9102 project of Defence, aiming to build a sovereign military satellite capability. This project is expected to be worth up to $4 billion.

“The companies which make up Team Aussat have been trusted partners of the Australian Defence Force for more than 20 years,” an Optus spokesperson said. “We are confident our proposal for JP9102 will deliver the required sovereign space solution now and into the future,” the spokesperson added.

As part of the JP 9102 notes released: “Since 1985, Optus has been Australia’s preeminent satellite provider, launching 10 satellites, operating 13 spacecraft, and providing support to over 100 international space programs. Since 2003, Optus has flown the C1 Satellite — which provides critical mission capabilities for Defence’s operations and, at the time of launch, was the world’s largest Defence-civilian spacecraft.

“Optus currently flies 7 satellites — including NBN’s 2 Skymuster Satellites, with plans to deploy software-defined satellite Optus 11 in 2023 for Australia and New Zealand, making Optus the first satellite operator in the Asia Pacific to launch a software-defined satellite that can provide both flexible concurrent broadcast and broadband services via a very high throughput satellite (VHTS) design.”

Optus has been supplying satellite services to Defence over the C1 since 2003. This was after the satellite was launched as part of the Defence JP2008 Phase 3D joint project which was initially established in 1997.

Initially, the C1 was supposed to reach its end of life in 2020. However, in 2017, Optus signed a $40 million contract with Defence. This was to extend its life until 2027 through the reconfiguration of the satellite to operate in an inclined orbit. This was aimed to reduce onboard fuel usage. During its debut, Optus C1 was the largest military and commercial satellite ever launched. Defence uses the satellite for various purposes such as tracking, telemetry, and command.