Telkom soon to open bid for new satellite launch<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom
\nwill open the bidding this year for the manufacture and launch of
\nthe Telkom-2 satellite.<\/p>\n
Telkom director for planning and technology Kristiono said on
\nFriday a contract to build and launch the satellite needed to be
\nsigned by the end of this year at the latest so there would be no
\ninterruptions to Indonesia's telecommunications system.<\/p>\n
\"It takes between 12 and 18 months to build the satellite, so
\nthe launch is expected to be done in the first quarter of 2003,\"
\nhe told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Kristiono said the tender would be participated in by
\ninternational satellite manufacturers and launchers such as
\nFrance's Arianespace and the United States' Boeing.<\/p>\n
The new satellite will replace the older Palapa-B4, which will
\nbecome obsolete in 2003.<\/p>\n
Palapa-B4 satellite is Telkom's second generation Palapa
\nsatellite made by the United States' Hughes Communication
\nInternational.<\/p>\n
It was launched into geostationary orbit on May 14, 1992, from
\nCape Canaveral, Florida, using a Delta 7925 rocket.<\/p>\n
The first telecommunications satellite the country sent into
\norbit was the Palapa-A1 in 1976. This was followed by the Palapa-
\nA2 in 1977.<\/p>\n
Both satellites were manufactured by Hughes and deployed using
\nDelta rockets.<\/p>\n
The Palapa-A satellites were replaced by satellites with a
\nhigher capacity and wider range, the Palapa-B series, in 1983.<\/p>\n
The Palapa-B1 was launched in June 1983 from the Columbia
\nspace shuttle, followed by the Palapa-B2 in 1984, which failed to
\nreach geostationary orbit.<\/p>\n
The Palapa-B2 was replaced by the Palapa-B2P in 1987, launched
\nusing a Thor-Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral.<\/p>\n
The Palapa-B2 was refurbished and renamed the Palapa-B2R
\n(Palapa-B2 Refurbished) and relaunched into orbit in 1990 with an
\nAtlas rocket. It replaced the Palapa-B1 satellite.<\/p>\n
In August 1999 Telkom launched the Telkom-1 satellite to
\nreplace the Palapa-B2R which had reached the end of its
\noperational lifetime. The satellite was built by the United
\nStates' Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.<\/p>\n
It was deployed into geostationary orbit by Arianespace,
\nmaking it the first Telkom satellite and the third Indonesian
\nsatellite to be deployed by the French company.<\/p>\n
The other two launched by Arianespace from its spaceport in
\nKourou, French Guiana, were the Palapa-C2 for PT Satelindo and PT
\nPasifik Satelit Nusantara on May 15, 1996, and the Cakrawarta-1
\nfor PT Media Citra Indostar in November 1997.<\/p>\n
Talks on the manufacture and launch of Telkom-2 began several
\nyears ago, but were suspended after the country plunged into an
\neconomic crisis in late 1997.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's geography, which consists of many thousands of
\nislands, makes it ideal for satellite telecommunications.<\/p>\n
However, cheaper alternatives are currently being explored
\nboth by Telkom and the Indonesian Satellite Association (ASSI) to
\nreplace the satellite telecommunications systems.<\/p>\n
ASSI recently recommended the implementation of a high-
\naltitude platform system (HAPS) in the form of a helium-filled
\nblimp which hovers at a height of between five and 20 kilometers,
\nand could cover an area of 38,000 square kilometers.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the association's national HAPS work-group,
\nKrishnahadi S. Pribadi, said earlier that the cost to implement
\nthe HAPS system was US$30 million a blimp compared to the $100
\nmillion price tag for a satellite.<\/p>\n
The HAPS system is also cheaper to maintain as the blimps are
\neasier to bring back to earth for repairs or upgrades than the
\nsatellites, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The HAPS system is currently one of the alternatives being
\nstudied by Telkom, but it's operational capabilities have not
\nbeen proven,\" Kristiono said, adding that the limited coverage of
\nthe HAPS system and safety issues were two of the main problems
\nin its implementation. (tnt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/telkom-soon-to-open-bid-for-new-satellite-launch-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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