Indonesia's Merah Putih Satellite Ready for Launch: Minister
Jakarta. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, accompanied by Telkom Indonesia president director Alex Sinaga, visited the rocket launch facility of privately owned space transportation services company SpaceX at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 24.
The visit was made to ensure Telkom's Merah Putih satellite is ready for launch on Tuesday (07/08).
"SpaceX will launch the Merah Putih satellite soon. It is my hope and everyone else's, of course, that the Falcon 9 rocket will successfully launch the satellite into orbit so that it can soon commence its function to support the national industry and increase connectivity and provide internet access to everyone in the country," Rini said in a statement on Friday.
The satellite will have 60 active transponders – 48 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders – that will cover South Asia and Southeast Asia, respectively. The satellite has an SSL 1300 modular platform with a designed lifespan of 16 years.
The satellite, manufactured by California-based aerospace company SSL, has been placed inside SpaceX's Falcon 9 fairing and will be rolled out to the launch site soon.
Rini said she is very proud of the Merah Putih satellite and that it's a great achievement that will further push Indonesia into the forefront of the digital and international sphere.
"Not only will this satellite be a boon for Indonesia, but also the South Asian region. It will help to push Indonesian state-owned enterprises into the international market," the minister said.
Tags: Keywords: