Indonesia is scheduled to launch its SATRIA-1 satellite on June 19, with its operational deployment expected by early 2024, according to a senior minister.
“The Indonesian government will launch the first Republic of Indonesia satellite, or SATRIA-1 for short, in an effort to equalize development and include people in the digital economy by providing internet access in every area of the country,” Mahfud MD, speaking in his capacity as the interim communications and information minister, said on Tuesday at his office.
The SATRIA-1 satellite is to be launched into space using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the United States.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Adi Rahman Adiwoso, managing director of satellite service provider PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga (SNT), told reporters that the satellite would be ready to serve the public in early 2024 because “it takes 145 days from the launch date for the satellite to reach orbit”.
“The launch is in June and the satellite will reach orbit in November. We will test the entire satellite system by the end of December and have it ready for service in January,” he said.
In line with its designation as a state-owned multifunctional satellite project (SMP), SATRIA-1 would facilitate public services, according to Ismail, the communications ministry’s director general of post and information resources and devices, who spoke at the same briefing on Tuesday. He added that SATRIA-1’s services would be free of charge and would complement the existing telecommunication infrastructure by providing a direct connection to internet terminals without base transceiver stations (BTS). In this way, the satellite would “cover blind spot areas that are not connected by other technologies”.
The satellite is to function primarily in provide internet access for delivery of public services, with a specific focus on education, health care, local administrations as well as military and police personnel in remote areas. While the service duration was initially set for 15 years, Adi noted a “possibility of extending it by an additional five years” as long as the satellite remained operational. Adi said the total costs of the SATRIA-1 project amounted to US$540 million, $90 million more than the original estimate.
Nevertheless, he said that “SATRIA-1 remained cost-effective as a regional satellite”, considering that “its cost basis is relatively low despite delays and other factors involved in catering to remote areas”.
The SATRIA-1 project is funded through a public-private partnership and managed by the Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) of the communications ministry. SATRIA-1 is poised to be the most powerful satellite in Asia with a capacity of 150 gigabits per second (Gbps) to enable high-speed internet connections. The ministry has established 11 ground stations across the country to provide operational support.
June 14, 2023, The Jakarta Post
(https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2023/06/14/indonesia-set-to-launch-satellite-this-month-from-cape-canaveral.html)