Indonesia to launch micro-satellite in 2005<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia is set to launch its first imagery viewer micro-
\nsatellite in early 2005 to carry out remote sensing of the
\nterritory and its natural resources.<\/p>\n
With its remote sensing capability, the micro-satellite will
\noperate in a polar-orbiting system, measure climactic temperature
\nand humidity, record topography, including forests, and monitor
\ncloud cover and water boundaries.<\/p>\n
It will also have the capability to receive, measure, process
\nand transmit data from around the world.<\/p>\n
"The satellite will prevent the Bawean incident from
\nrecurring," Air Force Chief Marshall Chappy Hakim said on Friday,
\nreferring to the five American F-18 Hornet jets that trespassed
\ninto Indonesian airspace in July and performed maneuvers for more
\nthan two hours over Bawean Island in the Java Sea.<\/p>\n
The United States claimed that it had secured permission to
\nenter Indonesian airspace while escorting a U.S. aircraft
\ncarrier, two frigates and a tanker. The government, however,
\nnegated the claim, saying the request had arrived too late at air
\ndefense command.<\/p>\n
The case could be just one of many undetected breaches of
\nIndonesia's territorial integrity, due to the vastness of the
\narchipelagic country.<\/p>\n
Head of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (LAPAN)
\nMahdi Kartasasmita said the micro-satellite project was made
\npossible through cooperation between Indonesia and Germany's
\nTechnischen Universitat Berlin.<\/p>\n
"The project will take 18 months to complete. Indonesia will
\nsend six aeronautics engineers and experts, of which two will be
\nrotated every three months, to Germany," said Mahdi.<\/p>\n
The project will cost US$2 million.<\/p>\n
The 40-centimeter micro-satellite weighs 40 kilograms and will
\norbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.<\/p>\n
Thus far, Indonesia has been paying $250,000 a year? for the
\nuse of imagery viewer satellites of other countries.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's only satellite is the Palapa communication
\nsatellite, which was launched in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
Satellite technology is on the agenda for the National
\nAeronautics Congress on Dec. 22, to be opened by President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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