RI and Israeli satellites on same rocket
RI and Israeli satellites on same rocket
JAKARTA (JP): The Palapa-C2 satellite of Indonesia will blast
off into orbit from Kourou, French Guiana, in May together with
Amos, a communications satellite owned by the Israeli Aircraft
Industry.
The two satellites are scheduled to be placed in the same
payload of the Ariane 4 rocket, a launch vehicle of the France-
based commercial space transportation firm Arianespace.
Arianespace's mission manager, Eckard Weinrich, told reporters
here yesterday that the liftoff of the two orbiters were
scheduled on flight 86 on May 15.
"The Palapa-C2 satellite, whose weight at launch is about
3,000 kilograms, will be placed in the top part of the loading
bay, and Amos, weighing about 1,100 kilograms, in the lower
part," Weinrich said, adding that both satellites would operate
in a geo-stationary orbit.
PT Satelindo, a private telecommunications firm which owns and
operates the Palapa-C satellite, had the Palapa-C1, its first
commercial satellite, put into orbit on Jan. 31 by Atlas IIAS
rocket of Lockheed Martin of the United States.
Satelindo selected Lockheed Martin because Arianespace, which
had originally won a tender to launch Palapa-C1, delayed the
launching schedules of several satellites, including Palapa-C1,
in 1995 after the company failed at two launchings in 1994.
Arianespace, owned by dozens of European parties, should have
launched the first Palapa-C generation on its original schedule
in late 1995.
Meanwhile, the timing of the Palapa-C1 launching was vital
because it had to replace the Palapa B-2P satellite which was
scheduled to end operations last December.
Weinrich said yesterday if his company had been able to launch
the Palapa-C1 according to its original schedule in late 1995,
the Indonesian spacecraft would have been launched with Measat-1
of Malaysia.
He said that Measat-1 was placed into orbit on Jan. 13
together with PanAmSat-3R of the United States.
Cooperation
He said that because the Indonesian and Israeli satellites
will be launched together, flight 86 will require Indonesian and
Israeli officials and executives to cooperate in the launch
mission center in Kourou.
Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
"This is business," Weinrich pointed out.
He said that it would be the first time for Arianespace to
launch both Indonesian and Israeli satellites.
A spokesman for Satelindo, Eddy Thoyib, said yesterday that
his company would not hold a party even if the launching of the
Palapa-C2 was successful.
Arianespace's director of sales and marketing, Philippe
Berterottiere, said that the launch of Palapa-C2 will cost
US$83.5 million.
Satelindo's general manager of marketing, Retno Setyowati
Renggana, said her company was targeting telecommunications firms
to lease Palapa-C2's transponders.
The current subscribers of Palapa-C1, who are former lessees
of the Palapa B-2P satellite, are broadcasting firms operating
within the satellite's area of coverage which includes Hong Kong,
Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Macau, New Zealand and Australia.
Retno said that transponder leasing fees in international
markets currently range between $2 million and $4 million per
year for one transponder.
The Palapa-C1 works at 113 degrees east longitude and the
Palapa-C2 at 108 degrees east longitude. (icn)