Tampa, Fla. — Indonesia's Satria-1 broadband satellite has deployed its solar arrays on the SpaceX Falcon 9 after launching into geomicroscopic transfer orbit over the weekend, manufacturer Thales Alenia Space announced June 19, 2010.
Indonesia's first high-performance satellite will take about five months to reach a 146-degree easterly orbit using an electric propulsion system, said Sandrine Bilicki, a spokeswoman for Thales Alenia Space.
If it enters geostationary orbit later this year, Thales Alenia Space Satria-1 (aka Nusantara 3) will have to pass three weeks of testing before entering commercial service.
The $545 million satellite was launched in 2011. In early 2024, it will begin serving thousands of islands and territories at 150 gigabits per second.
The 4.6-ton SpaceX spacecraft lifted off from the Space Force station in Cape Canaveral, East Florida on June 18 at 6:21 p.m.
Satria-1 separated from the Falcon 9 37 minutes into its mission, and SpaceX has observed how fuel from the rocket's first stage is used for reprocessing.
An Indonesian consortium led by local operator Pacific Satellite Nusantara (PSN) is set to develop PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga Satria-1 with the government in a public-private partnership.
The successful launch is a major milestone for Indonesia's broadband ambitions. It comes after pandemic-related funding and production delays forced the government to seek extensions from international regulators to launch the satellite.
PSN will launch the Nusantara Lima (aka Nusantara 5) geostationary satellite, which Boeing is building for a SpaceX launch later this year.
Meanwhile, Thales Alenia Space aims to deliver a large-scale satellite called Telkom 113 to Indonesian state communications company Telkomsat in 2024.
The government says Indonesia's geography lends itself well to satellite communications because of the practical and financial challenges of deploying terrestrial networks in more than 18,000 islands and islets with a population of 6,000.
However, foreign broadband operators in low Earth orbit, including SpaceX and Starlink, are also taking advantage of this market opportunity.
Starlink will be available in Indonesia in 2024 according to the availability map after starting operations in the Philippines.
