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BRI satellite launch delayed eight days
Bank Rakyat Indonesia, the most profitable lender in Indonesia that is set to be the first bank in the world to operate its own satellite, has announced an eight-day delay in the launch of its BRIsat satellite.
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Bank Rakyat Indonesia president director Asmawi Syam (third right) holds a replica of the BRIsat satellite during a press conference on June 9 in Jakarta. (thejakartapost.com/Anton Hermansyah)
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ank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), the most profitable lender in Indonesia that is set to be the first bank in the world to operate its own satellite, has announced an eight-day delay in the launch of its BRIsat satellite to June 16.
The delay is due to technical problems in the fluid connector of the Ariane 5 rocket, designed by Arianespace. After a meeting, the French company responsible for the rocket launch carrying the satellite agreed to fix the problem within eight days, faster than the earlier estimate of 10 days.
"We’ve just landed from Paris after meeting with Arianespace. We even held an online meeting with them while we were on the plane heading to Paris before the final decision was made," said BRI president director Asmawi Syam on Thursday in Jakarta.
The BRI satellite is not the only satellite that will be carried by the Ariane 5 rocket. The rocket launch, codenamed VA230, will also carry the EchoStar XVIII owned by US networking company EchoStar Corporation. The two satellites were created by Californian-based satellite maker Space System/Loral (SSL).
The launch site will be in French Guiana on June 16 at 5:30 p.m. local time, or at 3:30 a.m. the next day Jakarta time. According to Asmawi, BRI will suffer no losses because of the delay as the satellite was SSL's responsibility.
"After the launch, it will take 10 to 12 days for the satellite to reach orbit height above Papua. We will conduct tests to ensure that it can be controlled from our Earth base at Ragunan [South Jakarta]. And then, after 90 days, SSL will officially hand it over to BRI," he said.
The insurance of the satellite will be covered by state-owned insurance company Jasindo. The satellite has a normal lifespan of 10 years but can be extended to 17 years. (ags)
