It was a tense eight minutes for everyone involved.

For those working at PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), launching a satellite from Cape Canaveral in the United States is a tense and emotional occasion, given that 42 years ago the company sent its first telecommunication satellite, Palapa A1, into orbit from the same spot.

For space transportation firm SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, it was the first time that it had used a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, a vehicle that the company hopes can be used at least 10 times before any refurbishment is needed.

The plan was to have Falcon 9 lift off at 1:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday, deliver its payload into high orbit and use Falcon 9 to perform another landing on one of SpaceX’s drone ships in the Atlantic named “Of course I still love you”.

And after only eight minutes, everyone knew it was a success.

After being deployed, Telkom’s telecommunication satellite, named Merah Putih (red and white), will then fly to reach its geostationary orbit at around 32,000 kilometers above sea level, which normally takes around 11 days.

“Let us pray that the Merah Putih satellite will get into orbit smoothly and be operational in the third week of September,” Telkom president director Alex Sinaga told reporters at Cape Canaveral.

Merah Putih, once operational, is expected to replace the aging Telkom 1 satellite, which has been in operation since 1999.

Equipped with 60 transponders, Merah Putih, previously named Telkom 4, will support the existing Telkom 2 and 3S satellites to provide services for customers, especially in parts of Indonesia and South Asia, amid rising demand.

Of Merah Putih’s 60 transponders, 24 will be dedicated to customers in Southeast and South Asian countries, while the remaining 36 transponders will serve domestic customers.

Telkom’s network and IT solutions director, Zulhelfi Abidin, said the national demand for satellites now topped 188 and were mostly served by foreign firms.

According to data from the Communications and Information Ministry, domestic satellite operators including Telkom, Pacific Satellite Nusantara, Media Citra Indostar, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Indosat Ooredoo only serve half of the national demand.

Several foreign satellite firms have taken the opportunity to fill the gap.

With the launch of Merah Putih, Telkom is now operating 133 transponders, 49 on Telkom 3S and 24 on Telkom 2. The transponders are mostly of the C-Band and Extended C-Band types, which are reportedly able to better handle severe weather conditions.

Zulhelfi said Merah Putih was designed to last at least 16 years, although it had enough fuel to operate for 21 years.

Telkom inked a deal with US satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral (SSL) for the construction of Merah Putih in 2016. The California-based company began construction that same year and wrapped it up earlier this year, weeks ahead of schedule.

The new satellite was then transported from Palo Alto to SpaceX’s facility at Cape Canaveral. Telkom decided to work with SpaceX after the company said it could slash the price for launching the satellite by 25 percent.

On Sunday, Zulhelfi said Merah Putih cost US$165 million to develop, launch and insure.

Last year, Telkom worked with French company Arianespace on the launch of its Telkom 3S satellite in Kourou, French Guiana. The Telkom 3S project cost the company $215 million.

Meanwhile, during her visit to the SpaceX facility on July 24, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said Merah Putih could help improve national connectivity.

“The hope is that the satellite will ease and expand communication access for all Indonesians.”

The new satellite could also improve Indonesia’s position in the digital sphere at international level, she added.

“The new satellite will not only serve Indonesia, but also South Asia. It means our state-owned enterprise has made its presence felt at international level.”

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia