First NBN satellite launched to serve 200,000 in remote areas by mid-2016

The $500m Ariane 5 rocket is the first of two national broadband network satellites designed to bring fast internet to rural and regional Australians

The first of two national broadband network satellites designed to bring fast internet to about 200,000 Australians in remote areas has been successfully launched.

The $500m satellite was launched aboard a 780-tonne Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on Thursday morning. The rocket reached speeds of more than three kilometres a second as it covered the first 450km of its 36,000km journey into orbit.