The operation of the satellite will significantly strengthen Indonesia’s communication system particularly during and post-pandemic, when most people are working and studying from home. As an archipelago, the country is in dire need of a stable and strong internet connection.

However, one must not forget the skeleton in the cupboard -- the empty 123°E GSO slot resulting from a fiasco in the procurement of a defense satellite, which caused the government to lose funds after failing to secure investment to pay Airbus as the satellite manufacturer. Furthermore, the government failed to pay Avanti Communications’ satellite lease contract, and had to pay a severe penalty after losing an arbitration case.

The government then appointed PT Dini Nusa Kusama (DNK) to fill the orbit, but the company also failed to secure the necessary funds to build and launch the satellite.

The 146°E GSO slot is not without problems. Back in 2019, during the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference, the Indonesian government managed to secure an extension to the deadline to fill up both the 123°E and the 146°E GSO slots to 2024 and 2023 respectively, several years behind the actual deadlines under the seven-year bring-Into-use (BIU) ITU rule.

Another orbital position that we have to closely watch is the 113°E GSO slot that was supposed to be filled by the NUSANTARA-2 Satellite, which suffered a launch failure last year. Since then, the ITU has approved an extension of the launch deadline to 2024 to fill the orbital position, and the government has transferred the concession from Indosat to Telkom.

Despite the apparent certainty of the SATRIA-1 satellite project filling the 146°E GSO slot, we need to anticipate the loss of the 123°E GSO slot, a strategic orbital position for a communication satellite. Furthermore, the latter is also ideal for defense and security purposes - imagine if another country gets the slot that covers the archipelago 24/7. With tensions in the South China Sea on the rise, the urgency of the 123°E GSO slot is evident

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