Palapa-C1 satellite in orbit next month
Palapa-C1 satellite in orbit next month
JAKARTA (JP): The government has announced that the country's Palapa-C1 telecommunications satellite will be launched on Jan. 31 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the United States.
Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave told members of the House of Representatives in a hearing here on Monday evening that the technical details of the launch were still being arranged between Lockheed Martin, an American firm which will launch Palapa-C1, and PT Satelindo, the private company which will operate the satellite.
A spokesman for Satelindo, Eddy Thoyib, said that both technical and non-technical factors, including weather conditions, might affect the scheduling of the launch.
"But the satellite will be launched before Feb. 9," he said.
He said that after the Palapa-C1 launch in January, Palapa-C2, which was originally planned as a backup satellite, will be launched in April 1996 by the France-based Arianespace.
The Palapa-C1 was originally scheduled for launch in October or November this year by Arianespace. But the company delayed its launching schedules after two failed launches in 1994.
Because Arianespace rescheduled the launching of the Palapa-C1 into May 1996, the government asked Lockheed Martin to take over the launching, while Arianespace would be assigned to launch the Palapa-C2.
The Palapa-C1 will replace the Palapa-B2P satellite, which is currently in orbit. The timing of the launching for the Hughes- built Palapa-C1 is vital because the Palapa-B2P satellite is scheduled to end its operation this month.
According to Thoyib, Satelindo executives will leave for the United States next week to watch a satellite launching, which will use the same vehicle as that for the Palapa-C1.
The Palapa-C1, with a lifespan of about 14 years, has 34 transponders, 28 of which will be operated by Satelindo, while six others will be managed by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.
Thoyib said that Palapa-C1's transponders would all be leased to domestic and foreign subscribers, which were mainly broadcasting firms. (icn)