Launch date of 'Garuda-1' satellite delayed
JAKARTA (JP): The launch date of the new 'Garuda-1' telecommunications satellite owned by PT Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) has been delayed from its Oct. 31 launch schedule, a company official said on Thursday.
ACeS business development manager Gema Suria told The Jakarta Post the delay was due to a technical problem found in the launcher vehicle Proton rocket.
"The satellite launcher company, International Launch Services (ILS), told us they found a problem in the fueling system of the rocket's fourth stage," he said.
He said ILS decided to delay the launch in order to replace all parts alleged affected by the problem.
"This is something beyond our control ... They indicated the replacement process may take about two weeks," he said, adding that the satellite was originally scheduled to be launched in November 1998.
The launch schedule has been delayed four times -- in November last year due to technical difficulties, in September this year due to an extended testing process and twice this month on Oct. 21 and Oct. 31.
In a recent statement, ILS said the Oct. 21 to Oct. 31 delay was due to an adjustment in the valve in the rocket's upper stage fueling system.
The need for adjustments was discovered during the rocket fueling process, ILS said, adding that no flaw was found in the valve.
ILS is a joint venture stock company established in 1995 to market two of the world's premier launch vehicles, the American- built Atlas and the Russian-built Proton rockets.
The Garuda-1 satellite is made by the United States aerospace, defense and telecommunications giant Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.
It will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Proton D-1-e rocket jointly built by Russian Khrunichev State Research and the Production Space center.
Gema said the satellite had been readied at the Baikonur Cosmodrome since September this year.
"There are no charges afflicted on us due to the delay. All maintenance on the satellite during the waiting period is being handled by the launcher firm," he said.
He said the entire satellite project was worth about US$757 million. The breakdown included a $300 million satellite contract with Lockheed Martin, a $70 million launch service contract with ILS, a $70 million insurance package, the $225 million satellite- based mobile phone nonexclusive contract with the Sweden-based Ericsson and the $61.5 million in gateways development in Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila.
He said the Garuda-1 satellite would provide voice, facsimile and pager services via mobile phones and fixed terminals using the satellite-based telecommunications for Personal Communications Services (PCS) system developed by ACeS.
The PCS system will allow any person with a handheld device to communicate with another person carrying a similar device within the satellite coverage. The system will also permit persons with handheld devices to communicate via ground satellite gateways and normal public switch telephone networks to holders of a cell phone or a normal fixed telephone anywhere in the world.
ACeS' PCS system is based on the Global System for Mobile Communications standard and will employ dual-mode handsets (ACeS- GSM and ACeS-AMPS).
The Garuda-1 satellite is expected to begin commercial operation in the first half of 2000 and will cover dozens of countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The launching of Garuda-1 will add to the number of Indonesian satellites currently in orbit, including the Palapa B4 and Telkom-1 owned by state-owned telecoms company PT Telkom, Palapa C2 owned by PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (Satelindo) and Cakrawarta owned by PT Media Citra Indostar.
ACeS is a joint venture company between Indonesian PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara, which controls 34 percent of the stake, Lockheed Martin with 30 percent, the Philippines' Long Distance Telephone Company with 27 percent and Thailand's Jasmine International with nine percent. (cst)