Indostar ready for launch

SENTUL, West Java (JP): The European aerospace consortium Arianespace will launch the Indostar-1 satellite, a direct broadcast television spacecraft owned by PT Media Citra Indostar on July 15.

Media Citra's top executive Peter Gontha said Thursday that the satellite would operate on the 117.2 eastern degree.

Media Citra is owned by Matahari Lintas Cakrawala which is 61 percent controlled by PT Datakom Asia. The shareholders of Datakom include the state-owned PT Indosat, PT Asriland, PT Azbindo Nusantara, PT Lembah Subur Adipertiwi and PT Persada Giri Abadi.

Gontha said that in addition to the slot of Indostar-1, Media Citra had secured three other slots, 107.2, 107.4 and 117.8 eastern degree.

He said the Indostar-1 project was worth US$135 million, including the launching cost.

The satellite was manufactured by CTA of the National International Technology Inc. of the United States, he added. (icn)