Arianespace eyes 'Telkom-2' satellite launch
Arianespace eyes 'Telkom-2' satellite launch
JAKARTA (JP): French satellite launcher company Arianespace
expects PT Telkom to open a new round of negotiations over its
offer to launch the state-owned telecommunications company's new
satellite.
Arianespace director of the ASEAN representative office
Richard Bowles said here on Thursday that talks over the launch
of Telkom-2 satellite had taken place in past years but had been
suspended after the financial crisis hit Indonesia in late 1997.
Bowles said that he hoped talks would recommence soon as the
usual period between the signing of a contract and the actual
launch took about two years.
"So far there has been no further talks with Telkom, but who
knows what will happen in six months time?" he said.
Telkom-2 would need to be in place by late 2003 to replace
Palapa B2, which will come to the end of its lifespan in 2004.
"We are now actively reminding them that the B2 satellite
needs to be replaced for Indonesia to maintain its
telecommunication systems," he told journalists in a briefing
here.
He said that the average cost to launch a satellite using an
Arianespace rocket ranged between $80 million and $85 million
depending on the weight.
Palapa B2 is the second generation of Indonesian Palapa
satellites made by the United States' Hughes Aircraft. It was
launched into geostationary orbit by the Delta rocket on April
13, 1990.
The first telecommunications satellite the country sent into
orbit was the Palapa A1 in 1976, also deployed using the Delta
rocket. It was phased out of service in June 1985, and was
replaced by the Palapa B series.
Arianespace has so far launched three of Indonesia's
telecommunications satellites, making Indonesia the third largest
market for the company's satellite launches in Asia after Japan
and India.
Japan so far has launched 18 satellites using Arianespace's
services, and India has launched 10 satellites.
The first Indonesian satellite launched by Arianespace into
orbit was the Palapa C2 for PT Satelindo and PT Pasifik Satelit
Nusantara (PSN) on May 15, 1996. It was deployed using the Ariane
44L launcher and weighed 2,989 kilograms.
The Palapa C2 provides telecommunication services over the
Indonesian archipelago, Southeast Asia and part of China.
The second satellite, launched on Nov. 12, 1997, was the
Cakrawarta-1 made by Orbital Sciences Corp.
The 1,385-kilogram satellite was launched for PT Media Citra
Indostar and provides direct TV broadcast services throughout the
Indonesian archipelago.
The third satellite was the Telkom-1 for PT Telkom, launched
on Aug. 12, 1999.
It was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and
weighed 2,655 kilograms at liftoff. The Telkom-1 provides a full
suite of telecommunication services from television and telephony
to multimedia.
Telkom-1 mainly serves the Indonesian archipelago, Singapore,
Malaysia, the Philippines and northern Australia. (tnt)