Palapa-C1, Palapa-C2 to change orbital slots
Palapa-C1, Palapa-C2 to change orbital slots
JAKARTA (JP): PT Satelindo, a private firm which owns and
operates the country's Palapa-C generation satellites, will
change the orbits of the Palapa-C1 and Palapa-C2 satellites soon
after the launching of the latter next Wednesday.
A Satelindo spokesman, Eddy Thoyib, said yesterday that the
orbit exchange is necessary because Palapa-C1 has suffered an
anomaly on its battery discharge controller, causing its four Ku-
band transponders to operate less than optimally during solar
eclipses.
The orbital slot replacement should provide proper services
and transmissions for Palapa-C satellite users, he said.
The Palapa-C1, which was launched from Cape Canaveral in the
United States in late January, began operating in March from its
proper orbit at 113 degrees east longitude. Satelindo received
information last February reporting a defect on the Palapa-C1.
Eddy said that the Palapa-C2, which will be launched by an
Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana on May 15, was
originally scheduled to work at 108 degrees east longitude.
Due to the anomaly on the Palapa-C1, the Palapa-C2 will
replace the Palapa-C1 in the 113 degrees east longitude orbit,
while Palapa-C1 will orbit at 150.5 degrees east longitude.
Both the Palapa-C1 and Palapa-C2 satellites are the body-
stabilized version of the HS-601 model manufactured by Hughes
Space Communications of the United States. The lifespan of each
satellite is 13 years.
Each of the spacecraft has 34 transponders, comprising 24 C-
band, six extended C-band and four Ku-band. Each of the Ku-band
transponders has 50 dBW of power.
The replacement process is likely to reduce the lifespan of
the Palapa-C1 satellite, meaning that Satelindo will receive
reduced revenues from its transponder leasing business.
However, PT Jasindo, a state company which insures the Palapa-
C1, is prepared to pay compensation to Satelindo due to the
malfunctioning of four transponders on the satellite.
Jasindo, in cooperation with PT Citra International
Underwriter and 17 other domestic and foreign insurance
companies, insures the Palapa-C1 for US$164.88 million, covering
it from the time of lift-off to the end of the satellite's
operation period.
The leasing fee of each of the four Ku-band transponders has
been set at $799,000 per year and their leasing fees, if they
were being leased, would go to Jasindo. (icn)